Sunday 31 May 2015

Father`s Day Gift Guide

Father`s Day is coming up in a few weeks and if like me you are stumped at what to get the man who somehow has everything already then this is the gift guide for you!!

Having to buy anything for hubby fills me with dread as he is quite particular, or should I say fussy!!

In my search for a unique present for him I have come across some great and unusual ideas....here is my Father`s Day gift guide; some ideas are a tad out of our budget but I`m sure hubby would like them all the same!!

Braun cruZer5 Clean Shave - RRP - £89.99 

Now no Dad that I know wouldn`t love to have a new shaver! With its powerful triple action float system, the cruZer5 Clean Shave is the perfect choice of getting rid of unwanted facial hair at the touch of a button. The twin foils and integrated middle trimmer shave progressively closer whist at the same time being gentle on your skin. Even on 3-day beard, the cruZer5 delivers an impeccable performance cutting both long and short hairs in every stroke.






Fatbuddah Happy Sock 4pk - RRP £15

Socks yes, it seems a naff present but socks always go down well at any occasion. This lovely gift pack from Fat Buddah contains 4 pairs of their best selling socks, all in a funky designed gift box.





Dear Dad, from you to me RRP £12.99

As soon as saw this journal I fell in love with the idea of it.

From fromyoutome this journal contains 60 inspiring questions for your Dad to answer, allowing you to learn more about his personal life story. He answers the questions you wouldnt always think of straight away, then you will have a record of his thoughts to look back on in years to come.

The journal can be personalised by changing the front cover to suit your tastes; its also not specifically for Dads....Mum`s , Nan`s, Aunties, Brother`s, Sister`s, Grandad`s and many other relations are available too. Such a unique and thoughtful gift.





Meat Cuts Apron - RRP £17.99

For any discerning BBQ king this apron is a must-have!!

This high quality 100% cotton Meat Cuts Apron from Qwerkity makes a fun and practical present for any carnivorous cook who doesn`t know his flank from his rump!!









O`keefe`s Working Hands Cream - RRP £7.99


With hubby working with some really harsh chemicals he regularly gets very dry, cracked and sore hands. O`Keefe`s Working Hand`s Cream has been a godsend for him and he no longer gets split and bleeding finger tips and hands. It works by helping to replace lost moisture to the skin but also creates a barrier to reduce any further moisture loss. A great addition to any man`s skin care regime whether they are a builder or hairdresser.


Gorilla Glue - RRP £15

Gorilla Glue is one of the leading adhesives in the UK and has in its range a huge variety of glues like super glue, epoxy and Gorilla Glue Original. The Original can stick a wide range of surfaces together like brick, stone, wood and metal which other glues simply can`t do. There is also a range of duct tapes available in various sizes, all with quirky branding that would appeal to any DIY dad!




Honor 6+ Smartphone RRP £299


I want this as my next phone!! The new Honor 6+ has an impressive list of specifications...with its 5.5" display 1080p HD display (same as the iphone 6 plus!), videos and pictures look crisp and clear. A double lens camera allows the camera to take in twice the amount of light than a standard lens so blurry and dull night time shots are a thing of the past, plus the ultra fast shutter taking only 0.6 seconds to take a photo allows you to take a photo at lightening speed. It has a large memory of 32gb and a super long life battery which can allow up to 2 days between charges.







Men`s Pop Over Hoodie - RRP £39.99, on sale now £14.99

My hubby, as I`m sure most hubby`s love their hoodies. This classic black hoodie from Salt Rock deserves to be the staple piece of any man`s wardrobe. At the moment Salt Rock have a massive sale on so I am going to be stocking up the boys (and my) wardrobes!! I love all of their range from hoodies to casual shirts, to shorts, to skateboards for adults and children.






Double SuperCar Driving Experience - £60

Now this is my sort of experience!! From buyagift.co.uk this Double SuperCar Experience gives you the opportunity to drive 2 supercars around a 3 mile track. Will you choose the Aston Martin V8, the Ferrari 360 or the Lamborghini Gallardo??







Fingerprint/Footprint Leather Bracelet 

From Times To Treasure these stunning bracelets capture your children/s, family`s or even pets finger/foot/paw prints in silver. They are then lovingly hand crafted into gorgeous charms or wrap around silver curls.



I love that silver fingerprint jewellery isn`t just for women any more, these leather bracelets are just stunning.






Click HERE to be in with a chance of winning a Mini Hamper containing a selection of the featured products in this guide.


Friday 22 May 2015

Will You Sponsor Me For Britmums??

For people who dont know what Britmums is here goes...Britmums is a massive bloggers conference held annually in London. Hundreds of bloggers attend workshops aiming to improve their blogging and social media skills.

A massive aspect of the event is networking; meeting fellow members of the blogging world and creating future relationships with companies.


This year its on the 19th & 20th June.

I`m hoping to attend Britmums this year but require sponsorship from brands to be able to do this.

Sponsoring me will give your company great exposure on my blog and on social media.

I am offering full or part sponsorship opportunities to brands to be their representing blogger at the event.

Broken down the cost for me to attend Britmum`s is £95 for the entry ticket and £42 for travel by train.
My accommodation is pre arranged and I will cover the costs for food and travel costs whilst in London.



In return for full or partial sponsorship I would be happy to -


  • Publish a post before the event to announce you as my sponsor to my readers
  • Whilst at the event I will be using social media, eg twitter and Facebook so will include your brands twitter or Facebook handle in each tweet/message
  • Include a badge of your company on my blogs sidebar
  • Include your logo on my business cards stating you are my sponsor
All areas are negotiable so please dont be scared to ask!!

Here is a link to the Britmums website explaining in more detail about sponsorship - http://www.britmums.com/britmumslive/getting-sponsored/

If you would like to sponsor me please feel free to contact me at jeniwood@sky.com xxx

Friday 8 May 2015

Fab Food Friday #6

Welcome to the 6th instalment of Fab Food Friday #FFF!!
Last week the lovely Emma aka MrsShilts shared with us her amazing recipe for Slimming World friendly burger in a bowl.....OMG this looks amazing!! Anything recipe with the word burger in gets an automatic thumbs up from me!


The meal looks so inviting and with the melted cheese on top who can resist??


A big thanks to Emma for linking up with us this week, maybe we`ll see you this week??

If you do link up please grab our badge below to show you are proud to be part of #FFF.

Fab Food Friday

Slimming World #15

After last weeks muscle injury and the resulting no exercise I was certain that I would of gained this week. Probably 2-3lbs, so imagine my surprise when I stood on the scales to find I had gained only a half a pound!!




I am totally shocked as I must admit I have been comfort eating due to no exercise, and I have to say I have felt crap for eating some naughty food.

This week I`m back on it and after many times of saying this I WILL get my Club 10 award so I need to loose 1 1/2lbs to reach this target.

I have loads of events coming up in the few weeks so must do good; Ben turns 2 and is having a little party, Blog Camp Bristol , Jacob turns 5 and is having a party, our 6th wedding anniversary and of course Britmums!!!!






My target is to be at least 6lbs lighter, hopefully more, in time for Britmums in 6 weeks.

See you next week xx

Weigh-in Week #15

Starting Weight - 12st 5lb

Current Weight - 11st 3.5lb - gain of 0.5lb

Total loss to date - 1st 1.5lbs

Starting Clothes Size 18/20

Current Clothes Size - 14/16, and in some tops even a 12!!!

Sunday 3 May 2015

I`m Popping My Britmums Cherry!!

I have finally taken the plunge and booked my Britmums ticket!!! I don`t have a sponsor yet so I am still on the lookout; hubby doesn`t know I have put the ticket on the credit card....sssh don`t tell him!!!

This will be my first big blogging event and am a bit daunted at the scale that the event is going to be. I`m not that confident so will probably be the one sitting quietly, taking everything in. I`m travelling with a lovely group of local bloggers so am hoping that being with people I know will increase my confidence.

Saying that I am not going to waste this opportunity; I am going to use this event to learn as much as I possibly can, bettering myself, improving my writing techniques, increasing my blog following. I`m also really looking forward to put some faces to names and make some new blogging friendships.

A tradition when you are attending Britmums is to introduce yourself via `I`m Going to Britmums 2015` meme/linky, so here goes...

Name - Jeni
Blog - Poolemamma Blogs
TwitterID - @poolemamma
Height - 5ft 6ins...at least I think so, that`s what I have been putting on most things all my life!!
Hair - I`ve just had my air coloured for the first time in a year so a mixture of blonde, red and brown tones
Eyes - Blue

Me straight form the hairdressers with a new do,
I doubt I`ll be able to recreate this look again!!

Is this your first blogging conference? - Yes, this is my first main blogging event; I did got to a bloggers social meet up in Exeter last year which was great.

Are you attending both days? - I am!! I am due to work the Saturday but have managed to swap my shift for the Saturday before, which is our 6th wedding anniversary. Hubby doesn`t know yet!!

What are you most looking forward to at Britmums 2015? Everything...the sessions, the atmosphere, the social aspect. I am really looking forward to meeting everyone and putting some faces to the names we all know so well.

What are you wearing? Hmmm, not decided yet. I usually go for smart casual so most likely a pair of comfy three quarter jeans/chinos and a floaty top. The weather is a big deciding factor too, I hate being hot so layer up my tops so can take off a layer at a time if necessary.

Do you have any tips for to pass on to others who may not of been before? Nope, I`m a Britmums newbie, I`ll be able to answer this next year!!

So if you see me sitting quietly on my own, please pop over and say Hi!!

I’m going to BritMums Live

Saturday 2 May 2015

Feeling Alone

I don`t normally write sentimental or deep posts on here as I think some things should be kept behind closed doors but for some reason I feel that I need to write this down and get it off my chest.

Recently I`ve been feeling really alone. Now I have never been one of those people that needs to be constantly surrounded by people and can count on one hand how many people I can call close friends.

Over the last few months I have come to WANT to have more friends and have come to realise that I`m am really lonely.

But why don`t I have more friends?? What is wrong with me?? Why don`t people want to be around me or my family?? Why do we keep getting `forgotten` about or `thought you were busy` when it comes to social events??? Ask me and find out, not assume.

I keep saying to myself that I don`t need loads of friends and that what I have in my family unit is enough but I feel sorry for my kids when they keep getting left out of events that all their friends have been to.

Yes I know I`m not the most confident person in the world, I may come across arrogant but I`m really just scared so keep quite and to myself.

One thing that I have always promised myself is to be true to myself and not become a different person just to be accepted. I see so many people being one person in front of others then completely different as soon as they turn their back.

My amazing family; Should I change or be happy with what I have??
Why should I try to be someone else just to fit into a new group and make new friends??

Should I ???

Should I fake a laugh, plaster a fake smile on my face and not be me???

I can only imagine how mentally draining it must be to put on a show all the time, having to keep up a pretence in front of people.

Anyway, sorry for the random post but I needed to rant!!! I have a feeling a few things will be changing in my life!!


Friday 1 May 2015

Fab Food Friday #5

Welcome to the 5th week of Fab Food Friday #FFF.

In my previous post I was saying that I feel like I have hit a wall with my weight loss. I can`t seem to go below 11st 3lbs no matter what I do or eat.

Fab Food Friday`s was created to allow people on their Slimming World journey share their creations with the world and also grab some inspiration for new meal ideas.

Spam me with your gorgeous meal ideas. Maybe you have made a SP meal that is sooo tasty its hard to believe its on SP??

Maybe next week I`ll be showcasing your creation to the world???

If you do link up please feel free to add the badge below to your post to show your are proud to be part of Fab Food Friday`s xxx


Fab Food Friday