Transatlantic Blonde

What I Wore Wednesday: Impromptu Date Night

2012-01-25T10:01:00.000Z

Things have been a bit hectic around these parts as I'm preparing for a work event I've been planing for the end of this week. For whatever reason I decided I wanted to go out to dinner tonight and when I looked I could get booked into The Grill on the Corner's 50% deal but we only had 40 minutes to make Blondie Boy's dinner, feed him and leave.
So I went from my errand-running outfit and make-up to Date Night (plus toddler) outfit in less than 5 minutes! I darkened my eyeshadow and liner and threw on a sweater and hopefully looked semi-presentable.

Ohio T-Shirt- Ohio Bandits Apparel Co from MiCA

The Flirt Jeans- Old Navy

Pink Gym Shoes- Puma

Fearless Tiny Skull Studs- Dogeared

Geleration Rebel Yell Gel Manicure

H&M Black Sweater

Benefit Creaseless Cream Shadow, Strut

Blondie Boy was looking pretty cute himself so he got in on the What I Wore action, too!

Red Skull Hoodie- Paul Frank for TargetJeans- Marks and SpencersSkull Slip Ons- Gap

Prime Location Property Search iPhone app

2012-01-19T09:30:00.000Z

It is no secret that I'm a bit of an app fan; okay who am I kidding, I'm an app junkie. If there was an app to braid my hair and walk the dog I'd be a happy woman. In all seriousness though a good app should make your life so much easier and the new Prime Location Property Search iPhone app is one of those apps.

I can remember when NotBlondeHusband and I were looking for a new house; I was massively pregnant and lets just say it was not fun. My friend just got a new job and is moving back to the West Coast of Scotland (yay!) so obviously that means she needs a new place to live so when she was up last week we had a look houses on the Prime Location Property Search iPhone app.

It couldn't be easier to use; you can type in your location using the place name or postcode or if you are out and about you can use the "location" feature to find properties nearby. You can also use the camera view to take a photo of where you are and see what is close by--how cool is that?

West Coast weather in the winter is less than desirable* so we just typed in the name of a town we knew she was interested in and then clicked "Buy." You can also search for rental properties if that is what you are looking for instead.

Gorgeous 5 bedroom, £1.1 million home? Stunning but not quite in her price range so I will skip right ahead to the property that was my favourite.

Look at the views of the river! Stunning right? Modern, 3 bedrooms and balcony looking over the river- SWOON! The app lets you easily swipe through up to 10 images and if you wish you can open up the full brochure and floor plan which I personally think is a must.

You can easily share the listing with friends and family via email, Twitter or Facebook or if you are really keen you can contact the agent straight from the app. The app also has the functionality to save listings to come back and view later and if you have a PrimeLocation.com account you can sync with your saved properties and searches there.

*After writing this up I was having coffee with a friend and when she told me she was trying to get her Step-Dad to help her buy a place I whipped out my iPad and tried the camera function. OMG. You scan right and left and available properties pop up on the live video/picture--how cool is that?

The Prime Location Property Search iPhone app is FREE on iTunes. If you don't have access to iTunes why not look for properties on PrimeLocation.com? What do you look for when buying or renting a new house?

This is a sponsored post.

What I Wore: Speaking Engagement

2012-01-18T09:00:00.000Z

I had planned on being blacked out today to protest SOPA/PIPA but since it appears to be shelved and I can't get the freaking HTML to work on my page I am not. I have added a ribbon though in solidarity.

I was asked to speak about blogging as part of Glasgow University Media Week earlier today and wanted to wear something casual put professional. I'm a huge fan of sweater dresses and I hadn't worn this one in a while so I was glad to see it still fits!

Don't ask what is going on with my leg because I have no idea but NBH didn't have the patience for more than one take (can you blame him?). Also what is your thoughts on my penguin friend? It was acquired as a holiday decoration but since it is still cold out I've kept our fine feather friend out on the porch. Time to put her away or should she stay?

Dress- BCBG Max Azaria (TJ Maxx)

Leggings- Mossimo (Target)

Black Boots- Sketchers

Black Feather Earrings- Monsoon

Nails- Barry M Limited Edition Silver Glitter (currently free when you buy 2 other Barry M products at Boots and I freaking LOVE this polish)

Homophobia is NOT funny

2012-01-15T15:02:00.000Z

I'm going to say something I thought I didn't have to say: homophobia isn't funny. Seems obvious right? Apparently not. I've talked before about the power of words and linguistics so it really shouldn't come as a surprise that I feel this way.

Obviously straight up, in your face, disgusting, hateful homophobia is wrong; but so is passive, inferential homophobia. To me there is little difference between the two as they both have the same result. You can straight up say that being gay is wrong or you can say boys with long hair are "queers"-- BOTH are not okay.

I'm raising my son to be anything he wants to be and love anyone he wants to love and to know that whatever his choices are they are all normal. Words are so powerful and why would you choose to marginalize and alienate an entire section of society for the purpose of a laugh?

Don't get me wrong; I love humour and I know that comedy can push boundaries but there is a difference between pushing boundaries and exploiting homophobic language for a cheap laugh.

I know this might seem as if it is coming out of nowhere but like I said, it is something I thought I didn't have to say but apparently I need to say it. Homophobia is NOT funny.

Tim Tebow + David Bowie = Tebowie

2012-01-15T00:10:00.000Z

Chances are if you aren't American you have no idea who the freak Tim Tebow is but I will try and summarize. Tebow is the starting quarterback for the Denver Broncos who prays during games; sometimes he goes down on one knee which people have now called "Tebowing." They've even gone so far to suggest since he threw 316 yards in his last game and his favourite Bible verse is John 3:16 there is some divine intervention assisting him.

I'm not going to comment on what I think but I think you can take a guess and instead enjoy this amazing Jimmy Fallon parody. Not only is it an impressive David Bowie impression, but the lyrics and phrasing are great.

What I Wore Wednesday: Toddlers in Tuxedos

2012-01-11T09:15:00.000Z

So technically this wasn't this week but my sister just got her photos back and how freaking adorable do Blondie Boy and his buddy Leo look in their tuxedos? Blondie Boy was the flower dude in my sister's wedding last October and he and Leo wore these adorable tuxedos from My Tuxedo. The tuxedos are surprisingly affordable (packages start at £20!) and I love that the waist of the pants were adjustable and they came un-hemmed so BB will be able to wear them again in the future.

Tuxedos- My Tuxedo

Shoes- Converse All Stars

The only photo I have of myself from the past week (even though I had several proper outfits this week) is from Blondie Boy's Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Birthday party so it will have to do!

T-Shirt- Dunnes

Skinny Jeans-Old Navy

Transatlantic Blonde was provided tuxedos for review but all opinions are our own.

Blondie Boy's 2nd Birthday

2012-01-09T16:50:00.000Z

It was Blondie Boy's Birthday on the 5th and I think he had a pretty awesome time. As always all his treats were egg-free for his birthday and if I'm honest I thought the pancakes, cupcakes and cake were all super tasty if I do say so myself!

We had his party yesterday at The Life Craft in Glasgow and all the kids had a great time with messy play (painting, playdough and more) and got to decorate their own tote bag to take away! Can't recommend it enough if you are looking for a children's birthday party in Glasgow. Instead of blabbing on about BB's big T-W-O I will let some photos do the talking!

Yay Birthday! Woke up to presents and Egg-Free Mickey Pancakes.

Auntie Katie got him his first car! He calls it "Elmo car"--it is read with googly eyes!

Birthday Boy requested Purple Frosting for his Egg-Free Chocolate Cupcakes

Come Inside, It's Fun Inside! Fantastic Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Birthday Party at the Life Craft

What I Wore Wednesday: Wedding, Hotel du Vin Glasgow

2012-01-04T14:43:00.002Z

Yesterday my Mother in Law got married! Apologies for the late post but we've just gotten home after a fabulous day and night at Hotel du Vin at One Devonshire Gardens in Glasgow. I posted a few weeks ago about the dress I got for the wedding but here we all are properly styled up!

Embellished Prom Dress- Oasis

Pewter Sparkly Shoes- Dune

Wavy Hair- Mark Hill Curling Wand

Eyes- Benefit Creaseless Cream Shadow, Strut

Nails- Barry M, Mushroom

Earrings-Etsy

Bracelet-Swarovski

NBH's Kilt- MacGregor MacDuff, Hunting MacGregor Tartan

Blondie Boy's Kilt- Bare Knees Kilts, Hunting MacGregor Tartan

2011: Blondie Boy's Year in Photos

2011-12-31T17:52:00.000Z

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December

What I Wore Wednesay: Christmas

2011-12-28T09:15:00.000Z

Did everyone have a great holiday? I hope y'all got everything you wanted and got to share some time with people you love! This week I'm linking up our Christmas Eve and Christmas dinner outfits. My MIL and I got NotBlondeHusband's shirt on Christmas Eve last minute. Blondie Boy loved that "cookie monkey" was on his Daddy's tummy so it was a great buy.

Cookie Monster TShirt-Primark

Santa Skull PJs- Old Navy

Reindeer PJs- Tesco

Sequin Top- Loft

Bracelet- Merci Maman

Shirt & Waistcoat- Boots Mini Club

Reindeer Sweater- Ebay

Crowns- Debenham's Crackers

Chrismakuh traditions

2011-12-24T00:40:00.001Z

I left my laptop at home so while I wanted to post my recipe for lumps of coal--I can't or at least can't easily.

So instead go check out my Chrismakuh traditions post over on A Mother's Ramblings! Apologies for long link/ no hyperlink but the Blogger for iPad app SUCKS!

http://www.amothersramblings.com/2011/12/christmas-traditions-transatlantic.html

Blondie's Ultimate Christmas Song

2011-12-22T09:15:00.000Z

So the lovely Siân tagged me in the Ultimate Christmas Song meme and I don't want to face her wrath by not obliging so here we go (I kid, I kid). I do actually really like holiday music and it has taken me ages to settle on a song I hand't seen anyone pick yet. I loved Grandma Got Runover by Reindeer as a kid and there are some much over looked Chanukah songs but then I heard this on the radio and all other options were out.

In the US we had Christmas albums called "A Very Special Christmas" that came out every season and featured big names singing holiday songs to benefit the Special Olympics. The cover artwork was always by Keith Haring so the combination always sticks out in my mind.

This particular song is just ace. I'm not a big Bon Jovi person but Bon Jovi and Cindy Crawford directed by Herb Ritz makes for a super sexy and somewhat sad Christmas video.

I'm fairly sure I remember Pop-up-Video telling me that they kept making out after they called cut so that could be what makes this a realistic video. It is also pretty short so I'm only wasting 2 minutes of your life if you don't like it; sit back and enjoy!

I tag:

Morgan
Lori
Nancy
Jessica
Karen

What I Wore Wednesday

2011-12-21T09:15:00.000Z

This technically isn't what I wore but what I'm going to wear to my mother-in-law's wedding and I need y'all to help me out with some styling suggestions please!

Embellished Frost Prom Dress- Oasis

First off; yes, I am too lazy to take off my boots and jeans when trying on dresses. There is nothing worse that getting all the way undressed (winter means layers) to try on a dress that doesn't fit. Not only are you defeated but then you still have to get dressed again-not fun.

I love the full skirt and pockets. I'd never normally wear this colour but I like it and it won't clash with NBH and Blondie Boy's kilts but I'm not sure how to style the dress. The wedding is early January so tights of some shade are needed. I'm not normally a fan of nude panty hose but would you wear black? What colour shoes? Do I need a faux fur shrug? So many questions! See I need your help! What would you do?

Blondie Boy's First Gingerbread House

2011-12-17T19:54:00.000Z

Apparently that is Cookie Monster at the front to the left if you couldn't tell. If the Christmas tree looks squint that is because somebody bit the trunk off before we even started.

Blondie Boy mostly snuck gum drops and sucked icing from tubes but he had a lot of fun. I think next year he will be able to help decorate more; he did try but getting the icing out was a bit difficult. When he did he got SUPER excited and said "yay" though which was pretty cute.

He said the end result was "bootiful" what do you think?

What I Wore Wednesday: Holiday Sequins

2011-12-14T10:15:00.000Z

This Monday NotBlondeHusband, Blondie Boy and I had to meet my Grandmother-in-law in town for coffee and then I shopped around a bit before meeting the rest of the Glasgow Women's Aid board for Christmas drinks later on. I needed an outfit that wouldn't look out of place for three fairly different activities so this is what I came up with.

Fearless Tiny Skull Studs- Dogeared

Black Ruffle Cardigan- Old Navy

Black Sequin Top- Loft Outlet

Charm Bracelet- Merci Maman

The Flirt Skinny Jeans-Old Navy

Black Boots- Sketchers

Charcoal Coat- Zara (not pictured)

I know I wear those boots and jeans all the time but when it is wet and cold it means my feet and ankles stay dry and that is pretty important factors in Glasgow! I wanted a bit of sparkle as this was the closest I was getting to a Christmas night out but I didn't want to look out of place in the John Lewis cafe, shopping or in the pub either.

If you are looking for the winner of my Merci Maman giveway it will be posted later today on the original Merci Maman post once a winner is verified.

Holiday Gifts for Toddlers

2011-12-12T08:24:00.000Z

I'm the first to admit I'm very lucky to get to review products so I thought I'd what I would give a toddler who loves to play but also loves to read! Blondie Boy's books are always all over the floor because he is constantly pulling them out to read but he also loves climbing under and into things as well. What better way to combine two of his loves than with a great book and funky place to read it?

Garden Games WigWam

How freaking cute is this? We'd call it a TeePee in the States and while it is an outdoor toy I think it would be super cute as a reading nook in a toddler/child's room, too. The service from Garden Games was amazing and I got email updates along the way letting me know it had been packed, shipped and was out for delivery. I hate playing the waiting game for something to be delivered so I loved this extra perk!

If Wigwams aren't your style there are several styles of Playhouses available from a fairy princess castle to some really cool and funky wooden forts!

Emma, from Me, The Man and The Boy, recently reviewed one as well and Oli loved his! You can see her review of the Wigwam on her blog. Mostly Yummy's girls tried one as well and you can read what they thought on her blog.

The Big Book of My World- Kali Stileman

This book arrived through my letterbox and while I thought the illustrations were pretty I will be honest and say I didn't think much else of it at first but holy cow does Blondie Boy love it!

It is the perfect book for a toddler with an ever growing vocabulary and desire to learn. He loves flipping through the pages and pointing out the shapes or counting or finding colours, etc. He will sit with it for 30 minutes (that's a lot to an almost 2 year old) picking out different things and asking what others are called.

It is beautifully illustrated and has "lesson plan" type examples in the front so you can continue to read it as your child grows.

Transatlantic Blonde was provided these products to review but the opinions are all their own.

The Perfect Holiday Cocktail

2011-12-09T12:00:00.000Z

A few weeks ago I got a behind-the-scenes tour of the beautifully redone Thistle Hotel in Glasgow which included cocktail making lessons. One of the cocktails, a Toasted White Russian, would be absolutely perfect for the holidays so I thought I'd share it here!

Image by @JaneyTravels

Toasted White Russian

-50ml Baileys

-25ml Amaretto

-50ml cream

-50ml milk

Shake over ice and strain into cocktail glass.

Dust with cocoa powder (which you toast by shaking over an open flame)

Not only do you get to look pretty freaking cool by playing with fire but the drink is wintery and yummy. I had a very bad experience with White Russians back in the day but this cocktail has brought me around again! Do you have a signature cocktail you serve during the holidays? What would your perfect holiday cocktail be like?

What I Wore Wednesday & Merci Maman Giveaway

2011-12-07T10:11:00.000Z

This week NBH has been working on essays so Blondie Boy and I have been living in pajamas all week. I know I'm an amazing Mom right? I did pop out and got a top to wear with my Versace leggings but when I tried it on at home it didn't work so I've got nothing to show. As much as I'm sure y'all want to see my jim-jams I will live vicariously through your outfits this week!

To make up for my lame lack of outfit this week I'm giving away something that is decidedly NOT lame! How gorgeous is this Merci Maman charm bracelet? The heart is charmingly hand engraved with Blondie Boy's name on one side and his birthday on the other. I love how simple and classic it is and that I can wear it everyday or dress it up!

The charms are strung on leather cord (you can choose from over 16 colours) and packaged in a gorgeous orange box tied up with a white bow. It really would be the perfect gift for that stylish someone in your life and lucky you I'm giving you the chance to win one!

Win a Merci Maman charm bracelet with one charm for each of your children (or if you prefer something else engraved let us know!) The first entry (sign-up for the Merci Maman newsletter and leave a comment) is mandatory but the rest are all for extra entries. The contest is open worldwide so good luck!

Transatlantic Blonde was provided a bracelet for review and giveaway but all opinions are her own.

Fish is the Dish: Lemon Sole

2011-12-05T09:38:00.000Z

You might remember from the last time I posted how excited I was to receive a box of delicious fish in the post from John Milne at Delish Fish and the people at Fish is the Dish. Well after seeing how good the fish was last time I was probably even more excited this time, in fact the only time I've been more excited recently is when ~~I got~~ Blondie Boy got a Lego advent calendar.

Anyway, this time the box contained some lemon sole. Which interestingly is neither a fruit or a sole, it's actually a type of flounder. It's a fish I remember eating a lot as a kid, it has a really delicate flavour so it's ideal for kids who might be fussy, or even fussy adults. Who could that be?...

Also in the box was a little bonus: some of John's delicious hot smoked salmon. We're a smoked salmon kind of gang in this house anyway, hot or cold, so when I say this is pretty much hands down the nicest you'll find, that's high praise. We ate it as a starter, just with some bread and it was so good. Blondie really enjoyed it, it had a flavour of honey about it that she thought reminded her of really good honey baked ham. Blondie Boy snacked on it and kept coming back for more.

There were two recipes with the sole, a recipe for lemon sole goujons, which is how I always ate it as a kid so it sounded ideal for the boy, although he hasn't tried it yet: his is still in the freezer. I'll report back on that at a later date. The "adult" recipe was for a pan fried lemon sole in butter, a kind of meunière I guess. Like last time it was really easy.

Ingredients:-

Lemon Sole Fillets (1 per adult)

Chopped Almonds

Green Beans

Flour (For Dusting)

80g Butter

How to Cook:-

Cook your green beans, I blanched mine in a pot but if you're feeling lazy you could microwave them.If you've bought whole almonds toast them under the grill for a little, until they start to darken. Cut the the beans in half and chop the almonds.

Take the skirt off of the sole fillets (the easiest way is with scissors although you can do it with your hands) and dust them with flour, then shallow fry in a medium/hot frying pan

Please ignore the flour spill, I cleared that up later. By which I mean my Mum cleared it up later. Don't feel too bad for her, she got to eat the fish after all her hard work.

Take the fish out when cooked and place it on a warm plate. I covered it in tinfoil to keep it warm.

Whilst this is cooking brown the butter in a pan at a medium heat, then add in the green beans and the almonds.

Serve the fish and spoon the butter, green beans and almonds over the top.

I served with boiled new potatoes, in more butter (I don't believe there is ever such a thing as too much butter), some more green beans and baguette. It would appear that I cooked it in my well out of date but still cool green Red Sox jersey. NBH being NBH.

It was amazing, such a good result for so little effort. My brown butter, as you can probably tell, was not so brown. When I do it again I'll give it a little longer in the pan. It's pretty easy to burn, and if it does it's pretty foul, so you just have to keep an eye on it and keep stirring it. Nobody complained so I may have got away with that, until now at least, but even with slightly less than brown butter the lemon sole was delicious. Like I mentioned before, it's such a delicate fish that cooking it simply like this with a light sauce is the way to go.

It's sustainable too, a 2 on the sustainability scale where one is the best and 5 is worst. I reckon this might be a good recipe for entertaining: it's so easy to make but still delicious and pretty impressive. Your guests would think you've been slaving for hours in the kitchen, when actually you've been back there playing with ~~your~~ your son's Lego advent calendar. Living the dream.

Win the new Kindle with Transatlantic Blonde and Capital One!

2011-12-01T09:25:00.000Z

For most of us, usinga credit card is mostly associated with special or larger purchases. I did not even own a credit card until we got engaged and I got one to pay for our hotel, flights and other big purchases. Most people use credit cards for one offitems like holidays, presents, gig tickets and festivals and purchase every day essentials like groceries and takeaways using cash or debit cards. It’seasier for those of us who are particularly budget conscious to keep an eye onwhat’s coming in and (most importantly) going out of our accounts.

However, did you know that many credit cards offer cashback on products that you purchase? This isn’t like getting cashback on your debit card – it’s normally a small percentage of your purchases credited to your account on a regular basis. Obviously it’s not a good idea to put lots more purchases on your credit card – if you don’t pay off the full amount each month, the money you are getting back is going to be instantly wasted on interest payments! That said, for spending that you’ve already got planned, it’s a good way to put your credit card to good use. You need make doubly sure that you pay off your balance every month.

The lovely people at Capital One want to know what YOU think about Cash Back Cards and in return one of you will win a brand new Kindle! How's that for an early Christmas present?

To enter answer the survey questions and follow the rules below!

Good luck!

This is a sponsored post.

What I Wore Wednesday

2011-11-30T09:25:00.000Z

Most days this is what I'm wearing. Not very glamorous but it is what it is. Working from home while watching a toddler means most days I rarely leave my living room so formal attire is shockingly not required. I'm never going to be one of those women who get dressed up for grocery shopping or toddler groups; when I have someplace to go and someone to see I like to look my best but if it is just Blondie Boy and I kicking it style takes a backseat.

If I'm wearing a t-shirt 9 time out of 10 it will be of the Cincinnati Reds, Cincinnati Bengals or Cincinnati Bearcats variety. I don't know if I'd rep my hometown so much through fashion if I still lived there but I certainly wear it with pride over here. What are your go to comfy clothes?

Fearless Tiny Skull Studs- Dogeared

Cincinnati Bengals T-Shirt- Present from my Dad

The Flirt Skinny Jeans-Old Navy

Black Boots- Sketchers

Potty Training & Reward Charts

2011-11-29T21:45:00.001Z

It has been awhile since I have updated on potty training and I know y'all are dying to know what is going on, right? Every one of those stickers is for peeing on the potty. I made him the reward chart and stuck it up in the bathroom. I just used some old poster board and got 1,000 stickers for £1 at Poundland so it wasn't expensive to implement.

As you can see from all the cars he is doing well but that also means he is going a lot. Sometimes he asks to go just to stare at his stickers--seriously. He also has a little sticker book that we used this weekend at his Grandma's house so he is still getting rewarded when away from home.

No pooping on the potty yet which is kind of annoying but I feel like if we can get one he'll be good to go in the future. I gather from others that not pooping on the toilet is normal so I'm not too worried.

We know he is young so again we aren't pushing it but he asks to go himself now so we are moving forward. If anyone has any tips for the elusive poo in the potty that would be great! We got some Mickey Mouse big boy undies in the US as well so hopefully that will encourage him?

What I Wore Wednesday: Versace for HM

2011-11-23T09:30:00.000Z

Last Thursday I was lucky enough to win a Twitter competition and skip the queue for the unveiling of the new Versace for H and M collection! (ed note: I know it is not H and M, but I can't get an ampersand to work for some reason!) I got to go in early and shop before anyone else hit the store. The same rules still applied: I could only shop for 10 minutes and only one of each item.

I went in with only two items in mind and came out with five items from the Versace collection. I had planned a fashion show for y'all but well life took over so lucky for me Polyvore stepped in! So here is how I *would* have worn them if I actually got chance!

I'm still unsure about a few items and have until tomorrow to return them so please be honest about what you think! I'm also keen to hear alternate styling options, too!

Embellished Skirt-Versace for H and M

Black 3/4 sleeve top- H and M

Black Peep Toe Heels- Stuart Weitzman (Don't actually own but have similar pair)

High stylized bun

Black Ice Manicure- 15 Royal Terrace (I'm loving how the micro glitter breaks up the black!)

Red Dress- Versace for H and M (Sold out! No Link)
Black Peep Toe Heels- Stuart Weitzman (Don't actually own but have similar pair)
Long, Straight Hair; Middle Part

Black Fur Vest- Versace for H and M (Sold out! No link.)
Black Leather Studded Bag- Versace for H and M
Black Boots- Sketchers
Skinny Jeans- Old Navy

Floral Leggings- Versace for H and M

I've no idea how to really wear the leggings other than some sort of plain black top; any ideas? Did you shop the new Versace collection?

Guest Post: Mummy's accent

2011-11-21T09:30:00.000Z

This guest post is from a fellow expat Adele from Circus Queen. I briefly met the stunning Adele at the MADs and immediately wanted to know her experiences of being an expat mother in the UK. Here she shares her concerns about something I've often wondered myself-- what kind of accent will our dual national children have?

It's recently occurred to me that if we continue to live here, my daughterwill grow up with a Bristolian accent. I'm not sure how I feel about that.

There's a certain edgy charm to it, sure, but I just can't get my headaround the idea.To be fair, it's not just the Bristol thing.

This is just part of thegeneral confusion I feel over raising a child who is British when I amnot.

Growing up in Trinidad, a "farrin" (foreign) accent was something exotic.
It meant experiences outside of mine - contact with a bigger world.

Though six years of living in the UK have confused my own accent, perhaps
irreparably, I can't help but be weirded out by the idea that the baby
whose nappies I'm changing will sound (and be) "farrin".

But what's in an accent? Can it tell a person’s whole story?

I was teased for mine as a child and teen. For one thing, it was
inexplicably affluent. One sentence and people would make assumptions
about the kind of school I’d been to and the kind of family I was from. I
don’t know why the fact that my accent was associated with wealth was such
a point of amusement for others or why it bothered me so much myself.

Secondly, it morphed according to context. As a teenager a lot of my
sounds were hugely influenced by time spent in a mini-marriage to my best
friend who was in fact “farrin”. She was from Texas.

I was self-conscious about my accent the way some girls are about their
boobs (and, of course, I was conscious of those too).

Then I moved to England and apart from mistaking me for Welsh, people kept
getting confused about whether I meant "hair", "here" or "hear". Uh,
context, please.

Little by little, what started as a bid to be better understood became
conformism.

For instance, last week, I was thinking through some political issues and
found that when I referred to the “British public”, I’d included myself in
that entity.

For most of the time I’ve lived here, I’ve viewed myself as separate from
“the British”, a self-identified outsider. It was “them” and “me”.

But I’ve married a British man, I am raising a British child, I benefit
from the National Health Service. I pay taxes. I take an interest in
British politics. I watch XFactor. Religiously.

And the more Britishness my life accumulates, the more my accent seems to
transform. Is it disingenuous? Is it self-loathing?

Part of me wants a slap for admitting that I’ve conformed. It's telling me
it's time to buck up, take a swig of rum and start sounding broadly
Caribbean and proud.

But really, I don't see that it is such a big deal. So what if I'm
starting to sound British? Maybe it means I'm becoming more comfortable
with being here. Maybe, just maybe, Britain is becoming home.

And if that's so, perhaps by the time my daughter's old enough to chat
with, I'll not notice that she's "farrin".

What I Wore Wednesday: Family Photos

2011-11-16T09:00:00.000Z

So technically I am cheating because I wore this in October but I've only got the photos back this week so in my mind that counts! This week's outfit is three for the price of one! It is what we wore for our family photos when we were home in Ohio.

The ridiculously talented Geri Ciulla took our photos and I couldn't have been happier with how they turned out. I don't think you should get professional photos taken without professional make-up (trust me on this one) so the fabulous Mollie from Brideface gave me that defined eye I love so much without making me look like I just tripped off the Rock of Love Bus. Blondie Boy and NotBlondeHusband are gorgeous as is so they just rolled out of bed and turned up.

The photos were taken in Eden Park, one of Cincinnati's many stunning public parks, which overlooks the Cincinnati River, Kentucky and part of the Cincinnati skyline. It was a fabulous location for photos and I'm so glad Geri suggested it! Now on to the clothes!

NotBlondeHusband:

Pink Polo: Ralph Lauren

Black Trousers: Nautica

Brown Shoes: Sketchers

Blondie Boy:

Grey Cable Knit Crew Sweater: Next

Jeans: The Gap

Black High Top Sneakers: Converse

Kilt: Bare Knees

Blondie:

Black Feather Earrings- Monsoon

Black Ribbed Zipper Dress- M&Co

Black Leather Biker Jacket- John Lewis (Oasis Concession)

Purple Tights- Tesco

Black Boots- Sketchers

I listed kilt but Blondie Boy isn't wearing one you say? Hell yes he had a wardrobe change!

A teeny, tiny sporan? I die. Here are a few of the other photos from that day Geri has so kindly shared but I can tell you there were SO many more amazing ones! I think we did a good job of matching without being too matchy-matchy?

Fish is the Dish: Fish Pie ala NotBlondeHusband

2011-11-14T19:51:00.001Z

It's always fun to get a parcel in the mail. It's even more fun when the parcel turns out to be a box full of delicious, gourmet fish, which is exactly what arrived in our house on Thursday. The box contained haddock, smoked haddock and salmon fillets provided by John Milne at Delish Fish.

Given that smoked haddock is one of my favourite things in the entire world, I was pretty excited. I was also hugely impressed by the sustainability of this particular fish and of it's easily traceable origin. The haddock is caught in the North Sea and has Marine Stewardship Council accreditation.

Not only do we know who provided the fish and where it was caught and landed, we also know it had been caught by the crew of one of two vessels: Harvest Hope or Sustain.

More and more people want to know not only that the food they are eating is sustainable but also where it came from. It's pretty difficult to be more specific about where the food you are eating has come from, without providing the fisherman's name, shoe size and sexual preferences, which would probably be taking it too far anyway.

The people at Fish is the Dish provided a recipe for "Karen's Scrumptious Fish Pie", which was pretty lucky, since fish pie is probably Blondie Boy's favourite meal so it's a bit of a staple round here. The recipe also came with a challenge, to provide a top tip to change the recipe in some way. I changed a few things. Sorry Karen, I'm sure the original was nice too!

The ingredients:

potatoes

200g each of haddock, smoked haddock and salmon fillets

1 pint of milk

30g butter

30g plain flour

salt

pepper

optional:

chives

grated parmesan

lemon pepper

dijon mustard

1 Make some mash as you normally would, enough to cover your dish. I probably used 1.5-2kg of potatoes.

2 Chop the fish into 2cm chunks. I also skinned the salmon at this point. The great thing about making the fish into a pie is the pieces don't have to be perfectly symmetrical. Rough chunks are great.

3 Bung it all in your pyrex dish and give it a good mix together so all three varieties of fish are evenly distributed.

4 Melt the butter in a saucepan and gradually stir in the flour. Heat for a minute or so, stirring constantly.

5 Remove from the heat and gradually stir in the milk. Return to the heat and bring to the boil, stirring all the time.

6 Fish is the Dish challenged us to change something about the recipe, I can't help tinkering with recipes, so I changed a few things but if I could only recommend one tip it would be this: stir in a teaspoon or a teaspoon and a half of Dijon mustard. The sauce without it might be rather bland, the mustard makes it richer and velvety, without overpowering the fish.

7 Simmer for 8-10 minutes then season. The recipe recommended adding parsley at this point but we're not really a parsley house, so I added finely chopped chives.

Next tip, switch out the pepper here and season with lemon pepper. Light, zingy and perfect with fish.

8 Pour over the uncooked fish then top with the potato.

Topping isn't the easiest thing to do elegantly but fortunately it doesn't need to be elegant, just delicious. I put the potato into a piping bag with a large nozzle and piped it on before forking the top to give the peaks which will crisp up in the oven.

9 Scatter some parmesan over the top (optional, but highly recommended) and bake in the oven for 30 minutes at 200 degrees celsius.

We ate the pie with my Dad and his wife. I prepped and cooked it at home and then heated it through for 10 minutes in his oven. It was still perfect.

Although the recipe suggested serving with petit pois, I served it with savoy cabbage and broccoli. The pie was delicious, it seemed to be a success with everybody at the table from 22 months to 50+, even including Miss "I don't like cooked fish" herself, Blondie.

You can really taste the difference between good quality fish such as this and cheaper supermarket stuff. It really needed nothing done to it, it arrived filleted and perfectly boned, it was thrown roughly into a dish and with little effort on my part and it produced a delicious meal for 4 adults and a toddler, with enough leftovers for 4 toddler sized portions which are now in our freezer!

As I said I'm a bit of a smoked haddock aficionado and this stuff was the business, I'll definitely be getting some from Delish Fish again. It's such an easy food to prepare, stick it in an omelet, fire it in a pie, or even just poach it and flake it through some mashed potato, it's seriously difficult to mess it up and the results are always exquisite.

Transatlantic Blonde were provided the fish used in this recipe.

We totally rocked the vote

2011-11-08T15:57:00.001Z

Super excited to vote in a polling booth for only the second time ever! I've almost exclusively voted via absentee ballot since I turned 18.

I'm not shy about my opinions so I am proud to say I voted NO on Issues 1, 2 and 3 in the State of Ohio.

Blondie Boy and I are both rocking our "I voted" stickers and if you are American and haven't gone out and voted why not? If you don't vote you can't complain...

Guest Post: The Cupboard of Crap

2011-11-08T10:00:00.000Z

We all know Nickie from Typecast makes amazing tutorials but apparently she is also a hoarder. I feel Nickie's pain on this one as I have myself a garage and office full of crap as well as several crap drawers around the house. If Nickie is greedy, I must be a glutton.

I am greedy. I havetwo Cupboards of Crap but they both are independent of personality as oneresides at work and the other at home. They reflect my very secret unorganised side – something that not a lotof people see.

The Cupboard of Crap at work is where all the shredding goesto be done “one day”. It is where Istore two old computers, some bits of wire and a broken printer that may “comein useful” at some point even though the printer is beyond repair, the computersare useless and I have nothing to do with wire in my job at all. I also have old filing trays, letterheadsfrom three old premises and a load of accounts files that are probably morethan ten years old.

The Cupboard of Crap at home is in the kitchen, behind thedoor. It houses a number of my husband’stools, tins with old paintbrushes standing in a couple of inches of water,coats that no-one will ever wear any more, spare light bulbs, the barbeque andmy father-in-law’s ashes and memorial stone.

I should really clear them out but I am such a hoarder thatI panic over the notion that I may need one of those items a couple of daysafter I throw it out. I am the same withbook although I was recently forced to be very ruthless and had to“re-distribute” about 400 of them due to a serious lack of storage space. I kept my most favourite 101 but the pile ofbooks next to my chair in the lounge is growing again. We have eight shelves full of videos thathave never moved but they are all ‘classics’ in our eyes. I also have a box full of cassette tapes frommy teenage years and, even though we don’t have a cassette player any more, Iam loathe to throw them out as they are part of my history.

So when I read somewhere that Mahatma Ghandhi could count ontwo hands all the possessions that he owned (i.e. ten in total) I start tothink that we live in a possession-laden world and question whether we need allof this “crap”. I start to make lists(oh yes, I’m the Queen of Lists) of items that we can easily do without butthen I am overcome with sentimentality. I can’t get rid of photograph albums even though I could scan thepictures into my computer and store them digitally. I can’t dispose of my CDs or DVDs even theycould be stored on a hard-drive somewhere. And, if the inevitable happened, how would my nearest and dearest evermy “personal collection” as we are constantly reminded not to share digitalpasswords with anyone?

We have moved towards a disposable era, to be backed up byrecycling – so that is exactly what I am doing. I am storing all my disposables in my Cupboards of Crap in readiness forrecycling when the time is right.

The X Factor Live Show: Dancefloor Classics

2011-11-06T00:06:00.000Z

This week's snark is from one of the original members of #TeamTrashTelly--Nickie from Typecast!

Kelly is back from her skive, Tulia istrying it on for the sympathy vote, Gary is moaning about what a tough job it’sturned out to be and Louis is playing the ‘bitch to the media’ card a couple ofweeks early. It’s ~~Club Classic~~ ~~Floor Fillers~~ Dancefloor Classics week,people, and I’m all prepared for a little bit of chair dancing and asing-a-long so let’s hope I’m not disappointed. PLUS it’s an X Factor DOUBLE ELIMINATION this week so everyone is at risk.

Dermot comes on stage to rapturous applauseand does a little head flick shoulder groove. He announces that the “Dancefloor Classics is a ballad free zone”. I’m now wondering if Janet and Craig arebeing given oxygen backstage

The Fashion Bit:

Kelly – Long red number – cut out at thefront to knee length

Tulisa – Black and gold one sleeved number

Kelly and Tulisa high-5 each other at thejudges table. Everyone is “fine”… yesthat type of “fine”… and Kelly’s voice has made a miraculous recovery – must beall that LA air! I sit and wait forGary’s pre-written jokes – provided by James Cordon’s personalscriptwriter. Also, Louis seems to havegiven up the “You sound like a black [insert someone, anyone with black skinhere] route and is going down the “You brought it DOWN girl” track, slightly (alot) taking the piss out of Kelly.

Johnny – Hung Up/You Spin Me Round mash up

Backstage, he realises that most people whowin the XFactor aren’t his age (!). Louis believes he can go all the way! Johnny camps it up with the dancers backstage.

He is wearing a purple suit and Ohhhhhslightly off key – no, A LOT OFF KEY - with the Madonna song and he sounds like he’s had half a helium balloonbefore he came on stage – as soon as he moves into Dead or Alive he’s bang onagain! Gary doesn’t look impressed ATALL! It’s nowhere NEAR the quality oflast week’s performance – Louis has done him a disservice with this choice ofmash-up.

ADVICE: Tulisa says it was predictable. Kelly says he looked like he was having a good time but she can’tcomment further. Gary says it was likethe opening of a bad panto and it’s making a mockery of the competition.

Janet – I Want You Back

Backstage, Janet says she doesn’t dance –she knows what she likes and that’s all that matters.

She’s had her hair straightened (which doesactually suit her), she looks like she’s wearing a t-shirt and a cape typething but forgotten her trousers and she jiggles about on the spot a bit. Out of tune at the beginning and forgets herwords in the second verse. Kelly mouthsthem at her and she picks it back up again. Anything that Janet sings sounds more Irish that her actual accent. She also manages to include that annoyingcatch in her voice regardless of the style she is singing in

ADVICE: Tulisa says she should stick to her own style because she lookeduncomfortable. Gary thought theperformance was weak and she lost her identity.

Craig – Heaven

Backstage, Craig is scared this weekbecause he has to dance. Gary says hecan sing it well anyway because he’s a good singer (yes, we’ve all seenGary-the-dancer in Take That, haven’t we?).

He starts off slow – probably to build hisvoice up – I’m losing interest already. The shouty bit is out of tune but it leads into the Ibiza version ofHeaven. He’s just RUINED one of my alltime favourite tracks. He bounces up anddown the stage like an excited puppy and sings out of the side of his mouth –then slows it down again at the end. Hegets a standing ovation from Gary.

ADVICE: As Louis says, “You remind me of a young GaryBarlow” – I look over my shoulder to see if he’s reading my live blog. Tulisa says, “This shows how versatile youare.” Kelly does some American shiteabout singing up tempo.

The Risk – Night To Remember

Backstage, The Risk meet JLS and one of themgives his mobile number to Nicole Shirtslinger after last week’s show. She just about manages to refrain fromscrewing it up and throwing it away whilst the cameras are on her.

As a group they can’t harmonise. Individually they aren’t too bad. But this is what happens when you put a grouptogether of individual singers – the voices don’t blend. They are wearing leather jackets with pencilties apart from one of them who does some unnecessary rapping. They also do some Dermot-style dance-walkingup and down the stage. Forgettable, notmemorable.

ADVICE: I wish Louis would wait for the audience toshut up – everything he says is drowned out. I think he says that performance will put them back in the race –Charlie is the main singer and Gary agrees. Gary also says the song choice was the best for them but the performancewas lacking.

Marcus – Reet Petite

Backstage, Gary says Marcus is expected toflower this week (!). Marcus says hisbody is aching from all the dancing and he’s worried about his breathing. In and out, love, in and out – that’s all youdo. Marcus gets the Frankie treatmentthis week with a special 50s TV announcer.

Marcus is definitely the dark horse in thiscompetition. I didn’t rate him in theauditions but my husband had his card marked. I’ve loved his “journey” so far and the way he throws himself into eachperformance. He’s bang on key and evendoes the rolling R’s in the song. He’sfantastic – the “whole package” to steal an X Factor bingo phrase. Tulisa is dancing in her chair. He’s totally stolen the show!

ADVICE: Louis says “you are the perfect popstar”. Tulisa says that he is the onlyone who understands how to reinvent himself each week. Kelly says it’s beeninteresting watching him grow each week. I’m now even more convinced the X Factor judges have a webcam in myfront room

Kitty – Like A Prayer

I adore this girl – I wish the generalpublic “got” her. Backstage, Kitty iswondering “What Would Madonna Do” – I’m so going to get her a t-shirt with thaton and send it to her.

She’s got a gospel choir and it’s a slowstart but she’s got a fantastic voice. She strips off to a sparkly leotard and does a lot of “ooohhhhh” and“yeaaaahhhhh”. The judges don’t seemimpressed but it’s a song with not a lot of words.

ADVICE: Tulisa says that she’s captivated by Kitty’sperformances each week and believes that she could hold the attention of aconcert audience easily. Kelly says itfell a bit flat but only because she thought she was holding back. Gary says that she can’t dance – POT? KETTLE?

Frankie – I Gotta Feeling

Aaarrgghhh - Cut your hair, stop using familyentertainment television to make a name for yourself. You’re not the next Pete Docherty – he wasalso a shit-for-brains. Also, X-Factor –stop providing the platform for him to do this. I’m convinced that if he survives this week he will have a Waissel make-overand then get booted out. Backstage hesays he can’t work out why people are voting for him. Gary berates him about the media attentionhe’s receiving. Then he says “Frankie’sgot his head down this week” and I think “I’ll bet he has…” *cough*

He’s doing a rock version of I GottaFeeling – it’s out of tune, out of time, off key, just all wrong and he lookslike he’s just dragged himself out of bed. There are lots of Boooooo’s from the audience after he finishes.

ADVICE: Louis says it was bad karaoke and Gary hasbuilt him up to be a big rockstar. Tulisa says it didn’t work for her tonight. Kelly says Louis was out of line for part of hiscomment and adds that she wants Frankie to concentrate on his vocals (erm, it’sa singing contest – he should be good enough already!). Then there’s a bit of a bitch fight betweenLouis, Kelly and Gary before Gary admits that he picked the wrong song forFrankie. ANY SONG IS THE WRONG SONG,LOVE.

Misha B - Proud Mary

First of all, “B” is so pretentious – it’snot like there’s two Misha’s in the competition! Anyway, backstage, Misha and Kelly agree thatthe performance should be “fun and bubbly”. Her family also turn up to give her a boost. She channelling Tina T good style with the“ha” interjections in the song. She alsolooks like she’s had her trousers sprayed on and has stolen Whoopi Goldberg’shair from Sister Act. Give the girl herdue, she’s putting on a fabulous performance and really commands thestage.

ADVICE: Louis loves what she did with thesong and says her and Marcus are natural born stars. Tulisa says she got it right & had goodenergy. Gary says she’s got her crownback.

Little Mix – Please Don’t Stop The Music(modern remix)

We get a “when I was young” update from thegirls complete with complementary photos from their childhood – all of themholding a microphone (or pretend microphone) funnily enough. They’ve also been on stage with Jessie Jwhich confirmed their reason to succeed. These girls are growing and growing – they do actually work welltogether as a group but this song doesn’t work for them as individual singers –they sound much better as a group and have their harmonies down to a T. They have the dance moves too but theflashing lights are actually distracting from the performance. Not sure if this is a good thing or a badthing. Not a bad performance on thewhole.

ADVICE: Louis says he thinks they’ve broken the girlband X Factor curse. Kelly says shewants to hear more A-Cappella (unsure how that fits in with a club theme butthere you go). Gary says it wasincredible.

My predictions for X Factor bottom three areFrankie, Janet and Johnny. And I reallydon’t want to see you moaning at the elimination results if you don’t pick upthe phone and vote, m’kay?

What I Wore Wednesday

2011-11-03T03:36:00.000Z

This week I'm linking up my Halloween costume but you can link whatever you like! I was a Rock of Love girl for Halloween, but 90% inspired by Ashley from Rock of Love Bus. I found out via Twitter that she actually owns the shirt I wore so I feel it was a pretty authentic costume :)

Sparkly Pink Bow Barrette- Target

Nude Lipstick- Revlon 405 Pearl

Fake Lashes- Walmart

Black Hoop Earrings- Target

Pink Shiny Skull Tee- Target

Tutu- My Dad's Attic

Hello Kitty Lip Gloss Ring-Old Navy

Tattoos- Walmart

Black Leggings- My Step-Sister's

Pink Faux Uggs- Step Sister again via Second Hand Store

Guest Post: Natural, child-led play with babies and toddlers

2011-11-01T09:15:00.000Z

This post on Natural, child-led play is from Anna at The Imagination Tree. She beat me out for Blogger of the Year at the MADs and a more lovely and deserving person couldn't have won! Her blog has loads of creative play ideas and she's sharing four of her favourite toddler activities here.

Treasure Baskets: Open-ended thinking and learning can be encouraged from a really young age and doesn't require any expensive toys or take up loads of space! It's really easy to make your own treasure basket for a baby to play with as all of the items can be found around the home and are better for baby to play with than brightly coloured, noisy plastic which offers only a couple of different stimuli. Treasure baskets encourage investigation and exploration using the senses of touch, sight and taste. They also help to promote thinking skills and curiosity by challenging the baby to wonder "what should I do with it?" or "what happens if I combine these two materials?" etc.

Discovery Boxes: These are the term I've given to a toddler version of the baby treasure baskets. Every now and then I collect some simple materials such as cardboard tubes and beans, sellotape and scoops and put them into a large box for the girls to get stuck into! As with the treasure baskets, the idea is to step back and watch them play without interfering or suggesting what they should do, only joining in if asked. I find they can stay engaged with these simple items for so much longer than with their usual toys and they spend a lot of time thinking, collaborating, experimenting and having great fun! I've got a collection of the different items we have put into our Discovery Boxes on my site, if you need some more ideas!

Musical Instruments: Following along the same principles as the treasure baskets and discovery boxes, it is so easy to put together some makeshift musical instruments for plenty of hands-on experimenting with noises and sounds! Music making is crucial for building listening skills, distinction and perception and investigating cause and effect. It's also one of the vital building blocks for pre-reading so that one day they will be able to hear and distinguish sounds in words, pick up rhythm and hear intonation. Making "music" is as simple as opening the kitchen cupboards to pull out the pans, wooden spoons and metal utensils! Then have a great bash-a-long to some nursery rhymes or chants! If you want something more "sophisticated" you can make shakers easily using dry rice or pasta in a plastic bottle, stretching a balloon over a tin can for a drum or even make your own rain sticks!

Messy Play: Last (but probably BEST!) comes the delightful messy, sensory play! Again, no money is really needed for this apart from a few essentials from the kitchen cupboard. Make your own play dough and keep it for 6 months or more, using it to strengthen hand muscles and as a tool for learning letters, numbers and more. Making Goop like Blondie did is cheap and easy, too. Create sensory tubs filled with dry rice, pasta, lentils, pom poms and allow your little one to investigate with hands, scoops and spoons. (Watch smaller toddlers so that they don't put anything in their mouths.) Other ideas for investigating in deep table trays are water, sand, shaving cream, jelly, wood shavings, beads and lego! Whatever you have on hand will be of interest!

XFactor Live Shows: Fright Night

2011-10-30T16:54:00.001Z

Tonight's X Factor recap is from the fab Mink Prisoner!

Lots of controversy before we even get tothe singing this week.

Kelly’s allegedly in a snit over Tulisa’ssmackdown last week and is staying in LA. The official story is throatinfection (Get well soon) Alexandra Burke is announced as a last-minute replacement.Shame Simon didn’t decide to hop on his private jet and come back to the X Factor!

Johnny’s in the papers for claimingincapacity benefit although he’s been shimmying across the stage like a discodiva and someone called Ashley quit The Risk tobe replaced by someone from Nu Vibe called Ashford.

The Rhythmix girls had to change their namesince a charity already has dibs they will now be called tah dah Little Mix socatchy. Phew! The X Factor PR Dept must beexhausted.

It’s Time. To. Face. The. Music.

Is Halloween the theme? I swear if one ofthem does thriller it’s all over.

Yes, Halloween is the theme. Maybe Johnnywill come out in drag. They’re calling it Fright Night and

Dermot does an ill-advised dance routinewith some chicks in catsuits.

Ghostbusters! Tulisa has come dressed asMichelle Pfeiffer in Catwoman Louis is dressed as an ageing gent withinappropriate Tin Tin hair.

The Risk

Thriller

Bit of tragic backstory about Ashleydropping out of the band. Sob, sob! It’s the hardest thing he’s had to do inhis entire life – dude is lucky! First tears of the night….

Finally, The Risk… It IS all over they aresinging Thriller in the manner of zombies. Oh, dear. Judges are deaf thoughsince they are being praised.

Johnny “The People’s Diva” Robinson

That Old Devil Called Love

Louis introduces “The People’s Diva” Johnnythe benefit cheat. Allegedly.

It’s that Old Devil Called Love Again withfull on chandeliers, he fluffs the lyrics. He has rocks in his eyes apparently. Good job Simon isn’there.

The judges love it. Gary gives him ahub/kiss and Johnny faints (not really).

I wish he’d done it in drag. It’s quite funand I love this Billie Holiday song so I’m gonna give Johnny a pass.

Sophie Habibis

Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down)

Here we attempt to give Sophie a bit of abackstory. We see her in the pub with her friend. Random people say how she isrepresenting Islington. Whatever. The song is such a poor choice. It’s not evenThese Boots (Were Made For Walking). Her voice is really great and she lookscute but this song. Just, no.

Gary says she’s one of the best singers(true) but he agrees with me about the song choice. She needs a big showstoppernext week.

Marcus Collins

Superstition

Not sure about the eye make-up, Marcus.Does this song always sound like Need You Tonight by INXS? He rocked it out. Ilike Marcus but not loving the song choice either.

Big smiley thumbs-up from all the judges.

Misha B.

Tainted Love

Wonder if there’ll be any accusations ofbullying tonight? There’s a mea culpa segment. Let’s just get on with thesinging. An uptempo version; like the original by Gloria Jones. The creepypuppet dancers are distracting me. The crowd are chanting for her at the end. The judges who criticised her last week arebacktracking. Fair enough. Second tears of the night.

Janet Devlin

Every Breath You Take

Wee Janet. We see her village in Ireland,some kids from a Primary school all saying they love her. A pared-down balladversion. She is dressed as Miss Havisham. It’s haunting all right, maybe not ina good way.Louis gives feedback and his second dodgyKelly Rowland impression of the night. They all seem to like it. Gary mentions she’s getting a bitpredictable; I think he’s right.

Frankie Cocozza

Should I Stay Or I Go?

It’s bum tattoo time! He’s looking more debauched as theweeks go by. “Tonight its me, a bed, and a load of fit dancers … and I m justgonna go out there and have it.” His hair looks better. Well, washed at least.I don’t think he’s pulling it off. The “fit dancers” are having a pillow fight.Oh, dear.

Louis gives him a bit of a telling off.Tulisa likes him. Alexandra not so thrilled with his offstage antics either. Hedon’t care.

Kitty Brucknell

Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)

She’s deluded. That Botox was done withsomeone by a grudge. She’s spinning on a wheel like the type knife throwers aimat, that’s tempting fate. I love this song, so am biased. I don’t feel like she“smashed it”.

Little Mix (Formerly Rhythmix)

E.T.

Third tears of the night. The pretty blondegirl is crying because twits are tweeting she’s fat. The girls are on swings but looking spooky. They do KatyPerry’s alien ditty justice. I like them. So do the crowd and the judges.

Craig Colton

Set Fire to The Rain

The Scousers are crazy for Craig, includinghis favourite chip shop, who is outraged “Gary Barlow’s serving himlettuce”. I think Adele songs areto be avoided for the moment; they are too closely identified with her. He doeswell though.

Everyone loves it.

And the lines areopen!

Who I think will gohome: The Risk

Who should go home:Frankie

See you for theresults tomorrow!

Guest Post: Does This Feminism Make My Butt Look Big?

2011-10-28T09:00:00.000+01:00

Feminist Friday is on hiatus this week but instead I bring you this guest post from my fellow expat and general bad-ass the Stay at Home Babe. We met for the first time this summer and I have a feeling if we lived closer we'd get up to some major hi-jinx and I'd make her cook me dinner at least once a week :)

When good old Blondie asked me to guest post, I immediately started brainstorming ideas. Our blogs aren’t completely similar: I like profanity. A lot. I also talk about my vagina in a much less anatomical way than she speaks of hers.

But there are several common grounds to our lives and therefore our writing. We’re both American transplants to the UK. We’re both suckers for our husbands’ accents. We both love blogging, motherhood, womanhood and food. In fact, the first things that popped into my mind were Oreos and feminism.

So, I thought I’d be honest about my struggle with being a modern-day feminist and a foodie at the same time. It sounds like a weird combo to be conflicted about, right?

When I was growing up, my mother worked full-time and it seemed like she was too busy to cook. As an adult, I know that she was home in plenty of time to make supper, she just didn’t. But still, I grew up thinking successful, strong, career-minded, feminist women weren’t barefoot in the kitchen.

For now, I’m a stay-at-home mom. I LOVE to cook. I love the planning, choosing of ingredients. I love the preparation and combining of flavors. I love the process of cooking and of course… I love eating. Food is a very big thing for me.

It means I spend a lot of time in the kitchen, and a lot of my identity gets wrapped up in this fact that I’m a good cook and someone who enjoys feeding friends and family. It makes me sound like such a mom. It took me a very long time not to think that sounded like a complimentary-insult.

It also means that if I’m not really careful, I end up ten to fifteen pounds heavier than I feel comfortable. When I can so easily make myself really yummy food in fifteen to twenty minutes, and when I really enjoy the process, I cook stuff just because I can. Then it needs to be eaten. It’s not very feminist to be wrapped up in the vanity that makes me hate being squishy around the middle.

It’s taken me years to realize that I don’t have to burn my bra as a modern-day feminist (editors note: feminists actually never burned their bras; it was back of the backlash). My mother’s generation did that for me so that I don’t have to. I get to be in the kitchen because I want to be. I am staying home with my daughter until she starts school because I am lucky enough to be afforded the opportunity to do so. I get to do it because I want to. I could just as easily have gone back to work and found a good daycare if I’d wanted to.

I’ll be totally honest, I still struggle with the whole vanity pounds thing, but I figure that will come with time. At least I hope so. Because I know that loving myself means I should accept myself as I am, but do I have to? I just don’t know.

I just know that, luckily, most days my life has more important things for me to address. Like taking care of my kids; making sure they know they’re loved while still trying to set aside some time for myself at the end of every day.

Hopefully the conundrum of the extra ten pounds can weigh heavily on my mind well into old age when I finally have time to sit and ponder my feminist stance on vanity weight. Until then, you’ll find me in the kitchen at least once a day—barefoot, in an apron. Because that’s exactly where I want to be.

Lerner is a heavily-tattooed, hen-keeping, profanity-loving, die-hard foodie mom who has a personal blog (with moxy) at Stay At Home Babe. She spends way too much time on Twitter and is also available on Facebook or by email at babe@stayathomebabe.com

Guest: How to eBay

2011-10-27T17:14:00.000+01:00

Cass from Frugal Family is the Queen of good deals. Not only does she really know how to stretch a pound and find amazing steals but she is absolutely a sweetheart. I've met her a few times now and she is super sweet. I've been sticking my toes in world of eBay selling and here Cass tells you how to make eBay work for you whether buying or selling.

Hi, my names Cass and I’m an eBay-aholic.

Actually, I’m not really addicted to eBay (although I love it) but I do use it quite a lot, both to buy and to sell, so I thought I’d share a few of my hints and tips on how to find a bargain and how to make some extra money using the site.

Buying
There are literally millions of listings on eBay at any one time, so you’re pretty much guaranteed to be able to find what you’re looking for just using the search box. You can then filter the results to show you the items ending soonest, those located nearest to you and in price order and if you don’t want to try your luck by bidding in an auction style listing you can select the Buy it Now tab which will bring up only the items for sale on a Buy it Now basis.

There are a few sites that you can use to help you find even better bargains:
Local eBay Bargains can be found at Local Bargain Finder which finds bargains in your local area. This cuts down on postage costs and also narrows your competition for the item as a lot of sellers will only allow collection for some items so only people in your area will be bidding against you.

You could also try Fatfingers which is a site that will help you search for mis-spelt listings. I managed to find a great bargain on here before for a scooter as the seller had listed it as a ‘scoter’ rather than a scooter which meant that when people typed scooter into the search box, this listing wasn’t displayed.

You should also have a look at Last minute actions which will search out all the items ending soon with no bids on them.

When you’ve found something you want to bid on, the best way to keep the price low is to leave it as late as possible to place your bid. This gives other buyers less time to outbid you. If you’re not going to be around to do this, you could use Goofbay’s free eBay sniper service which will leave it until the last seconds of an auction to place your bid. I’ve used this a few times and been pleased with the results but you have to give them your eBay password to allow them to bid on your behalf and that always makes me a little nervous.

Selling
So now you know the secret to finding bargains on eBay, you should have a go at selling some of your unwanted things on there to make you some extra money to pay for all the great bargains you‘re going to be buying….

I’m not going to tell you how to list an item for sale as the eBay selling system is self explanatory but having sold loads of things on there personally, I have a few tips that might help things go smoothly for you:

A good photo of your item is essential and if it’s an item of value it’s definitely worth including more than one photo to really show off your item. Always try and photograph any flaws or faults in the item and refer to this in the description as well - honesty really is the best policy.

I try and time my listings so that they end on a weekend, late morning or afternoon is the best time in my opinion. That means listing on a Thursday if you select a three day listing and a Tuesday if you select a five day listing.

I sell my children’s clothes when they outgrow them and apart from the special items like party dresses or designer items etc, I find that they sell better in small bundles. I usually bunch together between 3 and 5 items and sell them as a job lot, any more would mean that the postage costs would probably put off a buyer.

Fit as much in your title as possible - eBay searches for words in the title and not the description. For example ‘Brand New Girls Next Pink Chiffon Party Dress, Aged 7’ will appear in loads more searches than ‘Absolutely gorgeous pink dress perfect for parties’

Post your items out as soon as you can after they have been paid for and you really should always send them by trackable means as you are liable if the buyer says they didn’t receive the item and you can’t prove otherwise. Having said this, for smaller items I usually just obtain proof of postage but I’ve never had a problem with parcels not getting there.

I save all my jiffy bags to reuse when I sell things, it keeps costs down and is also good for the environment as you’re reusing something rather than buying more packaging.

We keep the boxes and instructions to everything, things always sell better if they are in the original box with instructions.

Even broken items sell well - we recently sold a broken first generation ipod that had been in a drawer for years and made eight pounds - not much but better to have some money that something taking up space in a drawer. Just make sure you’re clear about something being broken in the title and detail exactly how in the description.

Why don’t you have a clear out and try and make enough money to pay for Christmas presents this year - It’s easily done, I promise ;-)

What I Wore Wednesday

2011-10-26T09:15:00.000+01:00

This week's edition is dedicated to my sister's wedding! We had several events over a few days so I thought I'd share all of what I wore.

Bridesmaid's Luncheon at The BonBonerie:

Hair: Hot Roller Tutorial

Nails: GELeration French Manicure, Woodhouse Spa

Feather Earrings: Monsoon

Dress: Coast at John Lewis

Shoes: J by Jasper Conran

Rehearsal Dinner, Skyline Chili:

Sunglasses: Karen Millen

Gap Ruffle Silk Top

Old Navy The Flirt Skinny Jeans

Black Sketcher Boots

Dogearred Skull Studs

Wedding, Cincinnati Contemperary Arts Center

Makeup: Nancy, Brideface

Hair: Jocelyn Volyes, BenFit Studio

Nails: GELeration French Manicure, Woodhouse Spa

Toes: Illume, Woodhouse Spa

Earrings: Diamond Studs (my Mom's)

Swarovski Tennis Bracelet

Lela Rose Crinkle Chiffon Dress in Charcoal

Nina Evelixa Silver Peep Toes

Guest Post: How to move house with a toddler (and his trucks)

2011-10-25T09:04:00.000+01:00

Today's post is from Ruth who is about to move from Edinburgh to London with her toddler. We moved to our house when I was 7 months pregnant with Blondie Boy which was hard enough so I can't imagine making a big move with a toddler--and his questions!

My son Tom is two and a half, and oursis the only house he has ever known. He was born in springtime. On abeautiful sunny day, when he was three days old, we brought him home fromhospital in a taxi. We walked through our garden, which was just starting tobloom, and walked in the front door, where we spent ten minutes carrying himaround and showing him each of our rooms.

‘This is your bedroom,’ we said. ‘Sorryit’s so pink.’

‘Here is where we’ll take bathstogether, and here is the sofa, which is awfully good for snuggling on. Here isa big old table which will be good for hiding under when you’re a bigger boy,and this is the kitchen… where you can bang on saucepans with wooden spoons andspill flour on the floor.’

Tom has, of course, spent the occasionalnight in other places - at his Granny’s flat by the sea, and in varioushotels, apartments and family houses when we've been on holiday.

But this is very much his home. He knowswhich way to turn out of the gate if we're on our way to nursery, and heknows to go the other way if we're going to the store. He knows which shelfhis books are on, which cupboard his plates are in, and not to run too fast intothe bathroom in case he slips and cuts his lip again. He knows he can’t goout the front door and down the steps without one of us to hold his hand. Nomatter which room of the house we're in, if he hears the front gate squeakopen, he dashes through to the den, and climbs on the chair by thewindow, shouting ‘Who is it? Who’s coming to Tom’s house?'

We are moving in a few weeks - leavingEdinburgh for London - and we have tied ourselves up in knots working out howto tell him. We didn’t know when would be the right time – we didn’t wantto leave it too late and spring it on him, but nor did we want to tell him tooearly and have him worrying. How do you tell a two year old that their housewon’t belong to them for much longer?

But with that toddler intuition, thatcrazy sixth sense, he seems have worked most of it out himself. Betweenhearing snatches of conversations and phone calls, watching the surveyors comeand measure our rooms, and having his dinky toy traffic jams tidied up everytime we’ve had a viewing, he has figured out that something pretty major isgoing on.

I got home from shopping the other dayand said in my usual cheery way

'Here we are, it’s Tom’s house.’

‘No,’ he said, ‘this isn't Tom’s houseanymore. Tom’s getting a new house.’

I was a little blown away, but tried notto let it show. ‘Does that make you happy or sad?’ I asked.

‘I am very sad. I will miss it. Can Itake all my trucks with me?’

Since Tom made the first move andbroached the subject we have been much more open with him. When I was inLondon a couple of weeks ago, he knew that I was looking for somewhere new tolive. Yesterday he walked me around the house and told me all the thingshe wanted to take and all the things he wanted to leave.

‘That wardrobe is too big,’ he said. ‘Andthat table is ugly, we can leave that.’

He is like the interfering mother-in-lawI never had.

Tom has always loved books, so we boughtThis is London – a brilliant picture book by Miroslav Sasek – and arelooking at it before bed every night. Tom is now full of chat about tube trains,statues and Big Ben. The book was written in the fifties, so he may bedisappointed by the lack of apple carts in Covent Garden.

Tonight he was lying on the floor,reading another book as I cooked his dinner. He looked up at me suddenlyand said 'I am going to be very happy in my new house. I like London. It's exciting.’

His dad and I looked at each other andsmiled.

‘What are you most excited about?’

‘Riding on the red buses,’ he said, and thengot back to his book.

Whatdo you think the best way is to discuss a house move with your toddler? Isthere a storybook you can recommend with deals with the subject? How muchinformation is it wise to share, and when? I'd be very interested to hear your thoughtsand experiences...

Fruity Freaks and Vegetable Monsters

2011-10-24T02:01:00.000+01:00

The fab people at Innocent, who's smoothies are yumtastic by the way, sent us over a fruity freak and vegetable monster making kit so Blondie Boy could enter a creation in their new Halloween competition.

Blondie Boy is a bit young for carving but he love art projects so we broke out some permanent markers and let him make his very own monster!

An abstract masterpiece right? He had so much fun making it and in case you were wondering his monster is made up, according to him, of stars, hearts, ovals and eyes. You can create your own fruity freak or vegetable monster, too!

Here are the instructions for the competition:

1) Make your fruity freak or vegetable monster from the spookiest looking fruit or veg you can find

2) Give it a name and use your innocent magnets to spell it out (how about 'Terry Able' or 'Aaaaaaaaaalan')

3) Take a picture of your spooky creation and post it in our scary Halloween gallery www.innocentdrinks.co.uk/fruityfreaks and email myfruitandvegmonster@innocentdrinks.co.uk with your flickr name and a postal address.

4) The first 1,000 entries win a set of limited edition glow-in-the-dark Halloween 0-9 number magnets (the perfect addition to our alphabet set)

5) When you're done with your monster why not use any leftover veg to make a soup or whizz any fruit up into a smoothie?

We were sent a box with fruit and veg to take part in this challenge but all opinions are our own!

The X Factor Live Shows: Rock Night

2011-10-23T18:37:00.001+01:00

I'm in the USA (and my sister got married last night!) so I haven't watched the X Factor yet however the lovely Annee has done an X Factor Live Show recap on my behalf!

So, it's Rock Night on the X Factor, this should be fun...or not!

I'm also glad that Tulisa has got rid of the blonde roots, they were not pretty at all! The judges all looked sweeeeet tonight, although Gary's tie?? Looks like I just knitted it in the ad break, is this a new trend?? I hope so I have some black wool upstairs!

First up tonight was Marcus Collins, his song choice was Lenny Kravitz - Are you gonna go my way. I'm not a huge Marcus fan and I didn't rate him much last week but after a shaky start tonight he was actually not too bad and looked very comfortable rocking with the dancers. I must add though, his ripped teeshirt was a tad vile!

Next up was the sweet sweet flame haired angel, Janet Devlin whose song was Sweet child of mine - Guns and Roses. OK she wasn't totally rocking out but her take on the song was brill, she is my favourite of this year. She also looked fab and was wearing a Stella & Dot Pegasus Necklace!

Uh Oh, here comes Sami Brookes... OK this girl can sing, but I think she wowed everyone at the auditions and she hasn't brought anything else to the table since then. I think we just expect her to be good and she is but she doesn't blow me away. Her rendition of Cher - If I could turn back time was good but nothing special. The X Factor stylist still hasn't got it yet... bring in Gok please, I could see the lines of her spanx through the leather dress!

Rhythmix next, they don't excite me and I really don't get how they sang a mix of two Pop songs, Ke$ha - Tik Tok and Salt n Pepa - Push it, and could class that as Rock! The vocals were pretty poor and even when singing together you could hear that one or two of them were shaky and out of tune! They also look like they just took a tumble in a jumble sale!

Pretty girl Sophie Habibis turned Rock song Living on a prayer - Bon Jovi into a ballad, she was pretty nervous and you could see it in her eyes and hear it in some notes but she did look amazing! I like Sophie she has a great voice and I hope she finds her zone soon so she can shine!

Craig Colton, the guy who chews up his face as he sings. Tonight he looks as if he has a bird's nest on his head, he so needs a hair cut! OK I think this guy can sing but he sang Oasis - Stop crying your heart out, and I hate Oasis, totally loathe them. So he could have sang this song perfectly and amazing but I still wouldn't have liked it, sorry!

Peering through my hands as I'm scared to see what she is wearing this week it's....Kitty Brucknell singing Live and Let Die - Paul McCartney (covered by Guns n Roses). Are the X Factor stylists trying to make Kitty look like Lady Gaga? Kitty was a bit rubbish to start off but once the song built up and she could let go she was good! I like Kitty and I don't like her all at the same time! I think she looks kinda weird, small eyes and her make up doesn't really compliment them.

Frankie Cocozza, the guy whos hair I'd LOVE to take clippers too and also maybe throw him in a bath! I so don't get him AT ALL, he is total crap. Tonight he is singing Get your rocks off - Primal Scream and all I can think is - pull your trousers up you've got a saggy crotch and I can see your horrid underwear. I don't have anything good to say about this guy, he's got to go soon! AND what was his entrance all about, does he think he's already a star?!

The Risk singing Gnarls Barkley - Crazy... Oh I don't think I liked this, did I just see them looking at each other thinking WTF? Nooooo they are pleading the sick card, don't you just hate that? Someone is out of tune and they play the sick card!

Heeeerrrrreeee's Johnny! Johnny Robinson, aww you gotta love Johnny he is such a nice person and you just want to feed him up! I'm loving Johnny singing I believe in a thing called love - The Darkness. He isn't the best performer to look at when he's performing a Rock song as he is a bit camp which is bizarre but he sounds great tonight and he strangely done great with that song.... I am so pleased he didn't say 'Vogue' at the end! Go Johnny, you RAWK!!!

Misha B, yeah she's a Rock chic and she rocked Prince's Purple Rain! She also had fab eye make up! Not much else to say as she was good. I try not to read the press and what happens backstage and I try and focus on the singing as that's what the competition is about.... I'm not interested in how much of a diva this girl is or what goes on backstage, that's just me.

That's the X Factor over for another week, I predict that Rhythmix and Sophie will be the bottom two... The best performance tonight for me was Misha B and the worse was Rhythmix.

Guest Post: A Nordic Savage in France Or the Day Care Question

2011-10-20T16:27:00.002+01:00

This post comes from Milja (pronounced Milya) who is a singer-songwriter and Mummy of one. She, like myself, is an expat and is a Finn living in France. Milja discovers what happen when Nordic and French views on Day Care collide.

'Oh? You won't put yourdaughter to child care?'

'No.'

'Really?'

'Ummm, no.'

'But she's two years old! It'sbetter for her development!'

'Oh. Didn't realize that.'

(Vague tittering.)

'Well, I guess it's becauseyou're so... you know... '

'Because I'm what, exactly?'

' So... Nordic. You know, all thatbreast-feeding, child raising and all.'

I couldn't believe I washearing this.

'You know, us French women, wewant our freedom! (more vague titters.) We want to work! You Nordics,you don't feel that way.'

'We don't?'

'No! A French woman wants toreturn to work right after she's given birth! We don't want to stay home likeour poor mothers and their mothers were forced to do! Whereas you...'

This is where my friend theFrenchwoman finally gave up. She didn't know what more to say about usstrangely maternal Nordic women. Here I was, once again involuntarily drawninto a conversation about my wrongful choices in raising mychild. A Finn (and a musician at that) raising my child in France, doing it allwrong. For in France, it seems, it is considered a crime against the feministmovement if your child doesn't go to childcare by the age of two, and Godforbid, if she/he doesn't go to school at the age of three, like the otherFrench children. It's so good for the child, I'm told, that way it won't bespoiled! Good for the mother, too, that way she won't have to exhaust herselfwith unnecessary child-raising. After all, there are professionals for that.I'm not saying all French have advised me thus – but it's happened often enoughfor me to generalize about it in a flagrant manner such as this.

Now don't get me wrong. I'mone empowered woman, and proud of it. I'm the head of my household, like mymother, her mother, her mother's mother and generations of mother's mother'smothers were before her. In my native Finland, when a man went chasingbear-meat burgers in his loincloth in snow up to his chin, it was more thanpossible he would never come back. There were always some swedish and russiantribes to fight, bears, wolves and wolverines to kill – and a mighty winterthat lasts more than a half of the year, for heaven's sakes. A Finnish woman isthe head of her household, whereas a man exhausted by hunting, fighting andsnow-plowing lays on the furs drinking hard liquor. So the famous equality ofthe sexes in the Nordic countries is a necessity. Without it, we would havebeen extinct since the invention of booze.

This, however, is not the casein western and southern Europe. Historically, it's been the Man of the Housewho makes the rules. Unless a field slave, the respectable woman's duties wouldsum up to being a lamb in the living room and a tiger in the bedroom, none ofthat cave-bear-matronly behavior. I mean, the French woman only got to vote in1946. She couldn't open a bank account without the permission of her maleguardian before the 1960's! I know a women whose banker called her father everytime her bank account was on overdraft, and this was the 1990's! No wonder aFrenchwoman will still do anything to get the hell out of the house!

I get this. I feel for you, Mesdames.I also feel for the women who have to work full-time just to put bread on theempty table. But those who don't: come on, don't claim it's anti-feminist toraise my child myself. I agree, the equality of sexes and all that, but hey - Ijust need to look at the unkempt state of my daughter is in after having spenta week in her loving father's care to know I'm the more instinctive carer forher. And since I'm able and willing to both work and care for her, what's sowrong with that? (Oh, I forgot. It will spoil my child. A smiley here.)

There's a Finnish womanpolitician, an elected member of the Finnish parliament, who took her newbornchild with her to the parliament sessions, breast-feeding him right then andthere. For some reason, I'm quite sure I wouldn't see this in the FrenchAssembly. There are too many cultural differences to even compare my land ofbirth to my adopted homeland. Still, I choose to stay here, to have my cheeseand eat it too, and also have my weekly conversation about why I want to raisemy child wrong, raising her myself. I love this country dearly. But to behonest... I just sometimes wish I never learned french so wouldn't have tounderstand the stuff I'm told.

What I Wore Wednesday

2011-10-19T15:12:00.001+01:00

Normally I am the kind of woman who travels in a t-shirt and sweatpants that say Hello Kitty on the ass--classy, I know. I've always put comfort over style on planes but I as we didn't have seats together and I think airline staff tend to be nicer if you look nicer I decided to try and combine comfort and style. Of course this plan was thwarted as I couldn't find my leggings so I threw a bit of a concoction together. I know the pants don't tuck into my boots well but I didn't have any other option.

I hot rolled my hair the night before. We were leaving the house before 6:30am so showering the night before was essential. I took out the rollers and slept on it without picking out the curls. It meant my hair actually had a lot of volume the next day (can't tell from the photo) and when on the plane I twisted it up into a clip which meant when I shook it out 14 hours later my hair still looked surprisingly good.

I'm wearing a maternity top, no I'm not pregnant. I wanted a long, loose t-shirt that was baggy so in a pinch it totally worked. I don't normally wear maternity tops I promise. So here is what I wore!

Apologies for the crap shot in the middle of Frankie and Benny's at Glasgow Airport

Hot Rolled Hair- Spin Daily

Glasses- DKNY

Fearless Tiny Skull Studs- Dogeared

I heart Ohio necklace- Truche

Black T-shirt- Liz Lange

Black Kick Flare Pants- Express

Long Grey Cardigan- The Gap

Black Boots- Sketchers

Gone Til November

2011-10-18T09:00:00.000+01:00

We are currently jetting our way to America for my sister's wedding, Halloween, voting and general all around good times. I have some great guest posts lined up while I am away and I will still be posting here and there too! Don't forget tomorrow is the first What I Wore Wednesday link up!

PS: How awesome is this song by the way? It takes me right back to my Freshman year at GWU. Freaking loved this song!

The X Factor: First Public Vote

2011-10-15T22:42:00.001+01:00

Can someone please tell Tulisa to stop with the tattoo arm pose? Its not big and its not clever. Her hair is 10,000 times better and I'm glad she read my post last week and saw that we all hated the reverse roots :) This week's X Factor theme is "love and heartbreak" so I expect some Alanis and Winehouse but I doubt I will get it.

Nu Vibe:

I'll be honest I don't have high expectations for them especially after watching the US X Factor where the calibre of talent is just way better. That first bit of "harmonizing" (I use that term loosely) was just awful. I love "With or Without You" and this faux-dance version is not doing it for me. Are they trying to style themselves as a clubby/dancey group because it isn't believable.

Sammi Brookes:

They still haven't quite figured out her styling have they? The longer hair is more flattering but the metallic shrug is not doing her any favours. In my opinion if your name ain't Whitney or Dolly you should never sing this song because it will never live up to the expectations of your audience. She sang it okay enough but no emotion and no performance; if I wanted to just see someone sing I'd watch myself do karaoke in a mirror. X Factor is about more than singing you know what I mean?

Craig Colton:

Will someone please tell him that he can not pull off the neck waggle reserved for only the fiercest of sisters? Just because you are singing a Beyonce song does not mean you can use her gestures. He's so worried about waving his hands and screwing up his face and perfecting his snarl that the vocals are just blah. I really would like to fast forward. I'm not loving it at all.

Janet Devlin:

She literally gave me goosebumps with that first phrase. Her voice is just so sweet and pleasant to listen to and if you haven't guessed already I am a big fan of hers. The song was a bit slow and sleepy for my personal tastes but I still love her.

Frankie Cocozza:

First off is he wearing jeggings and tails? Sack the stylist. He is doing his talk-whisper thing again and isn't singing the song. He didn't sing and it wasn't good. Shortest recap ever.

Johnny Robinson:

We all know he performs in Drag so why do they keep hinting at it and just let him come out as his alter ego? I almost feel like it could possibly work if he was in drag. Scratch that he just came into the chorus and the singing is just, wow. I will not be able to get this out of my head for a long time unfortunately. WTF! Why did he say "vogue" at the end?!?!?!

Marcus Collins:

I really don't like the flaming hands behind him because in my mind that just alludes to domestic violence; maybe I'm reading to far into it but the flaming hand and Rihanna song I just don't like the visual. It also says a lot that I'm noticing the backdrop more than his vocals. He doesn't pull of serious or dramatic very well; I didn't believe what he was singing and that last note was not pretty. Also it looks like he has on a toupee tonight.

Rhythmix:

Is this really a love song? It's not a heartache song-- its about a girl who can't commit right? Does that really qualify it for the theme? If they were going to stretch the theme they could have picked a much better song. The styling, again, is atrocious especially on Jesy I think her name is--why is she always wearing MC Hammer pants? I liked them last week but this week I wasn't feeling it.

Misha B:

There are rumours in the papers that Kelly had to bitch her out and knock her down a few pegs for talking shit to the crew and it doesn't surprise me especially with that little VT saying she wants to make all the backstage proud. Do you think she's smuggling nuts in her shoulder pads because she looks like the Purple One from Quality Street. She can sing but her attitude just turns me off.

The Risk:

The violins and music is louder than their vocals or is it just me with my wonky hearing? Half of them have no emotion in their faces and the other half have totally cheesy-fake looks on their faces. I feel like this song is so overdone and if you are going to do it then make me believe it. I still don't think they gel well as a group but apparently girls think they are attractive (?) so they could still be around for a bit.

Sophie Habibis:

Why are they trying to make her jazzy in a Norah Jones sort of way? She can sing for sure but I just feel like Kelly has been failing her with song choices and stylings. She looks pretty tonight (minus the white eyeshadow when she blinks) but again no real emotion behind the vocals and certainly not strong enough yet to stand up there on her own and belt it. Just feel a bit short; she has the goods but she needs to bring more to the plate than just her voice.

Kitty Brucknell:

Why is she wearing a wig in her VT? Is that really necessary? Oh and another wig in the performance. I need to do some full disclosure here before I continue on (I've paused the TV and everything)-- I've sang this song before. I've sang this song on stage before for a show in high school and I have very fond memories of it. My opinions therefore may be even more biased than usual. Okay disclosure over. I do not understand the Alice in Wonderland theme and it doesn't add to the performance. She's trying WAY too hard and it does not work. I won't go as far as to say that I did it better but umm yea you can come to that conclusion if you like.

My Predictions for the Bottom:

NuVibe, Marcus, Rhythmix

Feminist Friday XVIII: Reverse Sexism

2011-10-14T09:15:00.000+01:00

For me this is an easy one; reverse sexism is not okay. Being a feminist for me is about equality and that is for men too. Sure patriarchy means men have had advantages for thousands of years but that doesn't mean they should now be disadvantaged to make up for it. Women and men should be on equal footing, have the same opportunities and equal advantage. I'm raising Blondie Boy to be whomever or whatever he wants to be and to know that any little girls around him can do the same.

I'd never call NotBlondeHusband "Mr Mom" because to me that undermines his role as a father. Being a Father is just as important as being a Mother and saying that a man who does what are considered "traditional" female roles is a "Mr Mom" isn't just reverse sexism, it is straight up sexism as well. Not only are you saying the role of father isn't one of value but you are also playing into the stereotype of a mother's place is in the home.

Does that make sense? Is it just me who thinks this is a no brainer?

Feminist Friday XVIII:

Reverse Sexism

Here's how it works. Write a blog about being a feminist mom, raising a feminist child, a rant or anything that falls under the realm of the theme for the week. Come back and link your post and post the button on your blog.

That's it.

You don't even have to be a blogger to take part - just send me your post and I will publish it on my blog for you. You don't even have to include your name if you prefer.

When you've published it, come back on Friday and via a widget thing you can add a link to your post and share it with everyone. The link remains open for 4 days.

Visit others, comment if you like them or feel inspired by them. Just go out and encourage and support other feminist Moms.

The more support you give, the more you will get back! I can't wait to meet and interact with other feminist moms around the world!

What I Wore Wednesday

2011-10-12T23:05:00.003+01:00

Trying something a little different this Wednesday!

Black Feather Earrings- Monsoon

Grey Cowl Sweater Dress- New Look

Black Leather Biker Jacket- John Lewis (Oasis Concession)

Purple Tights- Tesco

Black Boots- Sketchers

Grey Shellac Nails-The Beauty Store

Wavy Hair-No Heat Curls Tutorial

If I made this a weekly thing would y'all link up?

You could share any outfit from the week.

Feminist Friday Theme XVIII: Reverse Sexism

2011-10-11T12:07:00.000+01:00

Image from ClanofSimons.Blogspot.com

This week's Feminist Friday theme is my SIL's suggestion; she wants to know about reverse sexism; her example was that I refuse to be Mrs. NotBlondeHusband but would I be okay with NBH being Mr. Blondie? What about "Mr Mom?" How do you feel about reverse sexism?

If the theme doesn't speak to you please write on any feminist topic!

The Feminist Friday Round-up

Here's how it works. Write a blog about being a feminist mom, raising a feminist child, a rant or anything that falls under the realm of the theme for the week. You don't have to be a mom or parent to participate. Come back and link your post and post the button on your blog.

That's it.
You don't even have to be a blogger to take part - just send me your post and I will publish it on my blog for you. You don't even have to include your name if you prefer.

When you've published it, come back on Friday and via a widget thing you can add a link to your post and share it with everyone. The link remains open for 4 days.

Visit others, comment if you like them or feel inspired by them. Just go out and encourage and support other feminist Moms or future feminist Moms.

The more support you give, the more you will get back! I can't wait to meet and interact with other feminist moms around the world!

The X Factor: First Live Show

2011-10-09T00:13:00.004+01:00

The X Factor is live and the first theme is "Britain vs. America" which isn't really a theme at all since 90% of music on the radio is from the US or UK. It's like saying tonight's theme is "Fast vs. Slow;" either have a proper theme or don't okay?

The Big Twist isn't bringing back contestants after all (so why was Kelly Rowland in Fife?) but instead there will be no public vote this week. They used to do the same waaay back in the early days of American Idol so not that exciting if you ask me. Bring on the singing!

Amelia Lily

What is with the pink hair? First the girl on BINTM and now her as well? I do think she looks loads better with less make-up. Who lets a 16 year old go bleach blonde and wear 2 tons of makeup? Oh for the love of Bubbles she's singing Billie Jean? I love Michael Jackson and I love a bit of punk-rock covers but this is just not well thought out and it is NOT good. Also pink hair plus red jacket clashes in my book; just saying.

Johnny Robinson

Okay so I'm guessing the X Factor vocal coach didn't get a chance to teach him about singing from his chest and not his nose? I feel bad for him because honestly he's not good enough to be on the stage. I guess Louis is treating him like Wagner 2.0 and figure that is he goes camp enough with enough dancers in tight clothes he'll go through. He does look like he is having the time of his life though so good for him I guess? OMG did you see Kelly's polite tennis clap? LOVE IT.

Rhythmix

I'm going to go ahead and say it I was more impressed with Sophia Grace singing Super Bass than these girls and her rapping skills were way better. If you aren't a rapper you should not try to rap. The harmony at the end was good but just didn't make any sense. Also what is up with Tulisa's blonde roots with brown hair? Is that a new trend I've missed because it looks really stupid.

Frankie Cocozza

First I have to say I HATE his hair; comb-overs are don't look good on old men nor do they look good young men. I also hate this song; I thought it was that whiny James Blunt until I listened and realized it was about drugs and Officer Blunt wouldn't dare sing about drugs. I'd have to say using the term "sing" to describe what Frankie did tonight is stretching it; he just huskily spoke through it and I did not like it. Real artist Gary? Not so much.

Sophie Habibis

Didn't Kelly say she was singing a song by the biggest act in the UK right now? Did I not hear her right? I was expecting Adele not the very American Katy Perry. She looks great and her shoes are freaking amazing but I think they've slowed the song down too much. Sophie can obviously sing but it's just too sleepy for my taste. If Simon was there he'd say it was indulgent.

Jonjo Kerr

Even the girls grinding without their poles behind him can't distract from how bad this is. He does not have the voice, style or confidence to pull off the Kinks. Does anyone remember Tabby from the 1st series of the X Factor? He could sing the Kinks, Jonjo can not. The buttoned up suit did not work at all with the song either.

Two Shoes

I'm glad they got out of the car because you couldn't see them but then they got out and I saw they had on 25lbs pounds of makeup. Oy. It's not bad but it also sounds exactly like the original version. I don't really have much else to say which can't be a good thing. I second Kelly though; where the hell is Romford?

James Michael

I don't remember him from any of the audition shows and based on this I'm not surprised. It's so ho-hum and not powerful I just want to fast forward. Another slowed down, sleepy song that has been changed up for the worse. If you are going to sing something as classic as a Beatles song you have to kill it; he didn't kill it he murdered it.

Misha B

Another "biggest artist in the UK" from Kelly; I'm thinking Adele again but will assume its another American. Okay it is Adele but why is she dressed like what I imagine Rupert Murdoch would look like in drag--part newspaper, part evil queen? She's not a bad singer but she's very affected and over stylised in her singing which makes it very unpleasant to listen to if I'm honest.

Nu Vibe

Okay first I have to say normally when I hear this song I change the station or the channel. I can not and will not support Chris Brown in any way shape or form. I really, really hope he is not getting any royalties or benefits from them singing this song. I don't boycott much but I boycott him. Now that is out of the way I think their performance was old fashioned and they were trying too hard to look like a boy band and the vocals fell flat. Even the styling seems so five years ago; except for the main guy's crustache ala Colour me Badd which is so 20 years ago.

Marcus Collins

I think he looks really good but the performance is very karaoke. Don't get me wrong I love karaoke but that's not what this show is about. His phrasing is off and it's just not the best vocal I've heard in my life. While I think he is really cute it did not do it for me.

Sami Brookes

Why is she actually done up like a drag queen? I'm the first to admit I wish I was a drag queen myself but I really do not think her styling or makeup is flattering in any way shape or form. The X Factor has a really bad habit of putting anyone over a size 10 in shapeless black sacks of varying lengths (see Mary from last year) and I do not like it. What the frickity frak did she do with her mouth at the end there? If Simon was there he'd say it was a "cruise ship" performance.

The Risk

We've never heard them sing together before and I think if we had they wouldn't be here. Their voices just don't really mesh well together. Again if you can't rap- DON'T RAP; I think bad rapping might be my new pet peeve. I'm not a fan and at this stage and can't see them sticking around very long. Did the judges hear something totally different from me? I'm actually shocked that they liked it so much.

Craig Colton

I hope they break him of that lip snarl habit quickly; why do contestants do that? It doesn't look big, clever or cute. I have no idea what song he is singing which makes it really hard for me to connect and get into it. He can sing but there is no connection. WHAT THE F WAS THAT?!?! That strange whipsery, almost crying drama break in the middle before the crescendo? Who said that was okay? That put me right off; I wasn't committed from the start and that killed it for me.

Kitty Brucknell

Did she get botox? Her forehead and eyebrows look freakishly smooth and frozen. She looks like a waxwork! She's not the worst singer but all the theatrics and styling is only something you can pull of once you are an established artist. Did you notice how no one clapped at first? It's because they didn't know WTF to say! Her voice was fine but the performance was just really out of place and she so wants to be Gaga right?

Janet Devlin

I absolutely hate her Dale Evans outfit but holy shit is she the best by a mile. The song choice is amazing and completely shows off the vulnerability and innocence in her voice. It was totally stunning and she's my early pick to win the X Factor. She has a little case of Diana Vickers hands but otherwise perfect. Also how is it she sounds more Irish singing than she does speaking? So cute!

All photos from ITV.com

GOSH Nail Glitter Giveaway!

2011-10-07T22:20:00.000+01:00

It's been a while since I've had a giveaway and with Halloween coming up this one couldn't be better timed! GOSH cosmetics have come out with Nail Glitter which isn't only on trend (did you see Kelly's Rowland's glitter nails on X-Factor?) but also is perfect for fancy dress/Halloween costumes at the end of this month.

Click to Enlarge

I gave myself one glittery toe last night and it was really easy and I love how the glitter is matte but sparkly at the same time. I have two pots for two winners of GOSH Nail Glitter. To enter follow the rules as below! Competition closes October 14th.

Transatlantic Blonde was provided GOSH Nail Glitter for the purpose of review and giveaway but all opinions are our own.

Toddler Swimming Lessons

2011-10-07T00:01:00.000+01:00

I love to swim. I was a total pool rat growing up and shockingly enough I was a certified lifeguard for several years and did aquatic therapy to children with special needs. If I'm at a hotel even for one night and it has a pool I will be in it. I think I've passed this love of water on to Blondie Boy.

He loves the water and splashes and jumps in over and over. He even attempts to paddle some and will "kick kick kick" when asked in the pool. When we were on holiday we had a Konfidence float suit which has 8 removable floats that you can take out as your child gets more confident in the water. It was great because it gave him the extra bit of buoyancy but he could still move around and kick while lying in the correct position in the water.

Personally I'm completely against things like water wings or floaties because they give children a false sense of security in the water and can be detrimental to their swimming development but since the float suit still requires you to hold yourself up and swim it aids in development rather than hinders it.

When we got back from France I decided to try him at swim lessons when we got back and he loved the singing and chasing rubber ducks in the water but going under water not so much. Apparently if you blow in a baby's face before you dunk them under water they have an instinct to breathe in and therefore not drink the pool when they go under. Blondie Boy has no such instinct.

He goes under and comes up coughing and sputtering having drank half the pool. He can blow bubbles in the pool (one of the first things I taught back in the day) but he still doesn't quite grasp in any way shape or form to keep his mouth shut UNDER water.

I'd like to take him back to lessons but I wonder if maybe it's better to just try and keep taking him on my own (which is free) and focusing on getting him to go under water before trying lessons again? What age was your child when you taught them to swim and did you do it yourself or go to lessons? What is the magical secret to teaching them they don't have gills and can't breathe under water?

The Konfidence Float Suit was provided to Transatlantic Blonde for review but all opinions are our own.

Shellac Manicure- The Beauty Store, Glasgow

2011-10-04T21:28:00.003+01:00

It's no secret I love a good beauty treatment and I especially love getting my nails done. You've seen me rave about my favourite Glasgow salon before and tonight I was treated to a Shellac manicure by the lovely people at The Beauty Store in Glasgow. Shellac manicures are a sort of hybrid of nail polish and gel nails where you get the best of both worlds. The Shellac goes on like nail polish but lasts up to two weeks like gel and known of the downfalls of gel such as thick coats or nail damage.

There were over a dozen colours too choose from but I went for one of the newest colour a sort of charcoal grey. I'm loving grey this season and have convinced myself it is the new black. How fab are they? It was dry immediately as well so no chance for me to smudge them!

Blondie Boy was fascinated by them when I came home and kept holding my hands and pushing on my nails. I think he thought he could take the colour off if he tried hard enough. He also learned to say "grey" which was so cute!

The Beauty Store has a whole range of beauty treatments and they've give you the chance to try them all at a reduced rate! Transatlantic Blonde readers will get 10% off their first treatment with the special code "Blonde10" until the 31st of October; just print out the image to the right and take it with you! What will you try?

They are also offering a free paraffin hand treatment with 3 Shellac manicures as a loyalty bonus! They also have a fabulous loyalty card system where you get a stamp for every £10 spent and after 16 stamps you get £10 off your next treatment!

Shellac manicures are £18 before the 10% discount-one of the cheapest in Glasgow!

Transatlantic Blonde was provided Shellac nails for the purpose of this review but all opinions are her own.

When should a child go to school?

2011-10-04T11:32:00.000+01:00

Yesterday I posted off an application for Blondie Boy for a local dual language nursery school. I know he's only 21 months but I thought as he will be starting primary school young because of his birthday the same would be true for pre-school and he'd start at 2 1/2. Not so much.

The woman phoned to say she got our application (that was quick!) but that he wouldn't start until the day after his 3rd birthday so 2013. She was absolutely lovely and said she'd keep his application and give us a phone closer to when he'd be due to enroll.

Pre-School aged Blondie

I have no idea when children start pre-school in America so I'm not basing this on a US vs. UK standard or anything. Sure I was a summer camp counsellor, taught secondary sexual health courses and was a TA and Graduate Assistant but known of that tells me how to structure learning for a toddler.

When do you think children should start attending pre-school? Am I completely crazy to want to try and find him a place somewhere at age 2 1/2? Are there resources out there for teaching toddlers at home? Should I just keep letting him do his own thing and learn without structured teaching?

Feminist Friday XVII: Myths

2011-10-01T23:38:00.000+01:00

I have so much I could say but there is no wifi in my hotel room. I just want to get the link up ASAP so big apologies! Huge thanks to NBH for wading into new territory and making a linky for me. Y'all have no idea how long it's taken to get this up!

Feminist Friday XVII:

Myths

Almost Wordless Wednesday: L'shanah Tovah

2011-09-28T18:49:00.002+01:00

Happy New Years to You and Yours! Now I'm off to clean apples and honey off the couch :)

Feminist Friday XVII Theme: Myths

2011-09-27T21:11:00.001+01:00

This weeks theme is an interesting one and is courtesy of my fellow Glasgow Women's Aid board member Lirazelf and its one I've touched on in previous topics but I think is a really good theme:

Myths-What is your favourite or most hated myth about feminism and feminists?

Image from PrimerMagazine.com

The Feminist Friday Round-up

How to make Goop (Toddler Arts & Crafts Fun)

2011-09-25T21:02:00.001+01:00

Today was a miserable and rainy day; not really uncommon in Glasgow but still not nice. NotBlondeHusband had very kindly volunteered to tidy up the living room but that meant Blondie Boy and I needed to find something to do. While BB loves putting things away he also loves pulling things out so not really conducive for a proper tidy up. So arts and crafts it was for us!

I decided to attempt some craftiness and make some Goop. The Goop I'm talking about has nothing to do with Fishsticks Paltrow and is more a slimy, slippery concoction that can be both semi-solid and liquid--basically it's really cool to kids and really messy.

I found a few different recipes online but basically it's just corn starch (corn flour in the UK) and water. A few recipes said equal parts and a few said 2:1 so I just threw in all the corn starch I had and them started with 1/2 that amount of water and added more. I also threw in some flour and baking soda as I didn't have a lot of cornstarch and some purple food colouring to make it fun.

You can see it's liquid but also holds it's shape and basically that means it's fun to play with and a good textural experience for toddlers or something like that. You grab a handful and it immediately turns to liquid and drips down your hands!

Since NBH was already cleaning downstairs I didn't want another mess to clean so we played with our Goop in the tub. In all honesty it's not hard to clean up as when it dries it turns into a chalky powder but playing in the tub meant Blondie Boy had a large canvas to paint and splatter and I could hose him and it down afterwards. I'm glad I added the food colouring as that meant he could also use it like finger paints, too.

It all washed off of both him and the tub with just the power of the hand-held shower head and because I used food colouring it didn't stain him or our tub. It was cheap, easy, messy and fun--everything you need to please a toddler and parent.

What's your favourite cheap and easy toddler craft/art activity?

Save the Children: End the Health Care Worker Crisis

2011-09-18T20:59:00.001+01:00

If Blondie Boy gets ill it's a ten minute drive to his doctor; if its closed we phone up NHS24 for advice or go to out of hours clinic. All his health care is free including prescriptions. I don't have to weigh cost or time of his treatment against how ill he is. African mothers do. Half of the 8 million children who die each year are in Africa, yet Africa has only 3% of the world’s doctors, nurses and midwives. You don't have to be a math genius to look at that statistic and know what needs to happen.

************

Save the Children need your help and I'm not asking you for anything other than your name. Please take action and sign this petition urging the Prime Minister to help solve the global health care worker shortage by urging him to:

1) Attend a high level event during the UN General Assembly where the UK and other governments make commitments to fund, train, deploy and support more health workers.
2) Commit new and additional support to help key countries strengthen their health workforce.
3) By the end of the year, articulate how the government will support countries to deliver on the UN Global Strategy on Women’s and Children’s Health.

If you want to write your own 100-word post and link it up then that would be pretty kick ass, too. Just get the word out and help to reach that 60,000 signature target before Tuesday 20th September when the lovely Christine Mosler, who went to Mozambique to follow the journey of a life-saving vaccine and Liz Scarff will be making noise on behalf of Save the Children at the UN Summit in New York.

If you are American and want to do something you can visit Save The Children USA's action center where you can become an advocate and write your member of Congress.

That's not too much to ask to help save a child's life is it?

Thank you to the lovely women at NetMums for sponsoring me to attend the conference.