16 in 16

Happy new year one and all! And a belated welcome to 2016!

We've all seen by now that television and social media are flooded once again with diet talk, Oprah and "New Year New Me" rubbish, right?

Well here's the thing. We will never be anyone else but ourselves, so trying to be a different person by making drastic changes is more than likely setting yourself up for failure. As such you will never see me making a resolution that means making unrealistic adjustments to myself *especially* if it involves any of those fad diets we see promoted all over everywhere around New Year.

Instead, the list-lover in me jumped at 16 in 16 when it was originally suggested by the awesome Soph from Busy Little Fee. She came up with the idea of setting sixteen achievable goals to work on in 2016 which is a much more realistic and fun thing to do than one giant looming resolution.

For my own sanity I have categorised this list. My brain doesn't like messy lists. (Unlike messy rooms which my brain is quite content with, much to my husbands dismay.)

The Online Bits

1. Work on the blog. 
I hope to freshen up A Curvy Cupcake this year with a new layout, updated information and a page on #thisisplus complete with press, background info and an FAQ.

2. Up my Insta game. 
I am terrible at Instagram. Truly rubbish. I aim to post more relevent pictures and reach 1000 followers this year. Hopefully I'll smash it and hit 1500 but we'll see eh?

3. Embrace Youtube. 
My four year old wants to make videos like his favourite Youtubers so I'm going to figure out how all this editing nonsense works and try to have some fun with it.


Mini Adventures

4. Go to a gig. 
It's been nearly 6 years since my last gig and it was a pretty big disappointment. I'm getting the itch to relive my yoof and with The Cure playing Wembley in December I'm thinking this year could be the one.

5. Revisit the Harry Potter Studios. 
I went in 2014 for the Christmas at Hogwarts thing and it was incredible. Back then there was no Hogwarts Express which means I simply must go back.

6. Get out more. 
This is vague but it does what it says on the tin. I aim to get out of the house more. On my own and with my children. I want to take my eldest to Kidzania and myself to more plus size events.

Image credit: The super talented Murder of Goths

7. Get all these women in the same room. 
This is one of those goals that is out of my control but I'm putting it here because I want it to happen. This group are my gang and I'd give the world to have one of our evening whatsapp conversations actually in person.


Money

8. Pay off my Simply Be account. 
This one is self explanatory and needs to be on the list. I have around £150 left to pay which I can only afford in small instalments. Hopefully by around October it'll be gone.

9. Save TopCashback. 
I have a TCB* account that I rarely use and when I do, I cash in as soon as I hit a tenner. My aim this year is to use the site for every online purchase that qualifies and save that cashback until at least July. (*This is a referral link. If you join through here and earn £10 cashback I'll receive a £5 bonus.)

10. Work the sales like a pro. 
I've always taken pride in the fact that I can shop a good bargain and I hope to continue this in 2016. Basically I want to avoid paying full price as much as possible for Christmas and birthdays.


Life

11. Say Yes More....
My anxiety issues have caused me to stop making plans for fear of not wanting to follow through on them. This year I will think before I make up excuses and endeavour to say yes to more opportunities. What's the worst that could happen?

12. .... And don't be afraid to say No
Having said that, I also need to know my limits. I will strive to say Yes more but at the same time if something is too much for me or the worst that could happen is certain death I will not beat myself up for saying No.

13. Schedule!!
I am not the best at things like spontaneous housework and writing. I need a visual reminder. I have bought a planner of sorts where I can schedule my day or week, allocating time to specific chores, activities with my home educated small person, blog posts and most importantly that precious half hour of Me Time in between the chaos.

14. Sleep.
Having three boys under 5 years old who like to wake up at 5:30am would be a lot easier to cope with if I didn't stay up until 1am every night. Time to wrap up my evenings a little earlier I think!

15. Wear my specs during screen time.
I have put off wearing my glasses because in my head I told myself short sightedness is for old people. Obviously that's nonsense (and I'm now a bit old) so it's time to avoid the headaches and put my specs on.

16. Love more.
This is everything. From communicating better with my loved ones to being more patient with the kids, from commenting on more blogs to reconnecting with my own self. I'm quite a negative creature so I need to make a huge effort with people this year.


So that's my 16 in 16 list! Is there anything on there you'd like to aim for too? Or anything you think I'm missing?

Leave me a comment and let me know if you have any goals and later in the year we can check back and see how we're getting on!

The following bloggers have also taken part. Once you're done here go and take a look:
Charli, Kerry-Ann, Tanya, Katt, Kitty, Becky,Vicky, Cathy, Becky, Lucy

New Year, New Shoes

Babes, we're coming to the end of party season. For many of us that means dusting off the LBDs and killer heels one last time. But for me? Well... not so much.

Once upon a time I'd have been more than willing to sacrifice my pain-free tootsies to look good in a brightly coloured stiletto. I would even run for the train quite comfortably in 4 inch heels without a moments hesitation. But now? Now I prefer to treat my feet to a comfortable night out and there's no reason why this should mean having to compromise on an outfit.

These looks are just three of my outfits from this year where I've opted to swap the heels for a pair of flats and right now Simply Be have a fab selection of gorgeous flats for every occasion.
Check out their blog post for some amazing footwear inspiration on how to Pump Up the Party in some stylish flats.

The plimsol shoes are my current favourite style as they come in such a huge variety of colours that you can literally have a different pair for every outfit. Brogues are another firm favourite of mine but the possibilities if you decide to give your feet a rest and opt for flats this New Years Eve are endless.

What will you be sporting for New Year? Comfortable fats or those once-a-year killer heels?
Let me know in the comments below!

George Secret Santa Swap

I go absolutely bonkers for Christmas and very little excites me more than a gift swap Secret Santa style so when I was invited to take part in George at Asda's Secret Santa, I was over the moon!

Each of us were given another blogger to buy for and sent off to stalk our giftee, picking their gifts from the extensive range at George. Then came the wait as the elves packed up everyone's goodies and sent them on their way. The jolly postman left me hanging and made a surprise 6pm delivery a week later.


I'll just shoosh and show you what I got shall I?

I adore this package! It has a gorgeous cushion and matching tealight holders. (I don't know if the colour coordination was intentional but I like to think it was.) There's also a Maybelline Red Siren set which I am really looking forward to trying this Christmas. You can never go wrong with all the red! I was also sent an AMAZING scented large candle. It's Baylis & Harding in Midnight Fig and Pomegranate and it smells utterly divine. I've not even lit it yet and the scent wafts around the room as you walk in.
And of course, the piece de resistance, the spotty Christmas tree jumper with red sequin stars. I've worn this a few times but I've been a bad blogger and not taken any photos. You'll have to wait for Christmas Jumper Day to see it in all it's glory but I'll tell you now it's bloomin marvelous.

Unfortunately we weren't told who are Santas were but I want to thank them for such a wonderful gift. So if you're reading this, Santa, thank you!

Charitable Christmas Colouring In

In recent months I've become a teeny bit obsessed with adult colouring books. I find it very therapeutic and soothing to channel my anxious energy into something calm and creative.

It's truly wonderful to see how popular these "mindfulness colouring" books and pages have become. Maybe it's because I've always been a big kid at heart or maybe it's because it's because I now have kids of my own that I can appreciate the innocence and simplicity of losing yourself in your own creative world. Just for a little while.


One of my favourite illustrators, Johanna Basford, already has a trilogy of incredible books to her name (Secret Garden, Enchanted Forest and Lost Ocean) and has now created some festive colouring pages for us to download and enjoy this winter with all proceeds going to Scottish charity Mary's Meals who feed starving children the world over.

Take a look at the video below to see Johanna talk about her drawings and her chosen charity then pop over to her Just Giving page and donate any amount you want to receive the link to your printables.

(As a rough guide, it costs around £12.20 to feed a child for a whole school year. BUT between now and December 28th, the UK government are doubling donations made so you could feed two children for a year if you donate the same amount of money. Amazing!)

The four seasonal printables come as high quality PDFs (ie large files, mobile and tablet users) and are an absolute joy. Though I'm now realising I need better pencils and some nice pens. Something to put on the Christmas List!

Afternoon at Bluewater feat Scarlett & Jo

In the buildup to Christmas there is one place I absolutely must visit; Bluewater Shopping Centre.

My husband and I found ourselves with a couple of hours to spare this weekend so we drove to the surprisingly uncrowded shopping mall with the intention of just buying my Christmas present (which for the first time ever is not an item of clothing).

Of course with Christmas being Christmas and Bluewater being Bluewater, we couldn't just buy one thing and we came away with five additional christmas presents for the kids and a refurbished PS3. Doh!

And yes of course I did get my gingerbread latte.

Since I was already in the vicinity it would've been rude not to pop into Yours Clothing to check out their Scarlett & Jo dresses. They had a lot of the stunning velvet maxis but I chose to try on the more prom-style dresses. (Please excuse the minimal makeup!)

This first dress (Black & Gold Lace Prom Dress) was my favourite of the two I picked up. Classic S&J prom dress with a sheer yoke and sleeves giving plenty of stretch for those of us with big chests and/or upper arms. The thin ribbon tie details draws to the waist and the full skirt skims my belly wonderfully.

The second dress (Black & Red Jacquard Prom Dress) comes with an elastic belt to give the same look as their 2-in-1 dresses. I love these as they define my waist quite nicely. The jersey wrap top has a lot of stretch so it's perfect regardless of your chest size (but I think I'd need a pin to hide the bra) and the slightly gathered skirt is a lovely below-knee length. Perfect for those indoor Christmas parties where you don't want tights or leggings.

So all in all a nice productive day at old Bluey, followed by a tasty Chinese takeaway. Perfect!

The Royal Oak Beefeater Review

I was recently invited to experience the freshly refurbished Royal Oak Beefeater in Wrotham Heath.

Whilst I'd like to say I took the whole family to experience the entire menu, I opted to leave the children with grandparents and have a rare and relaxing evening out with my husband. 

source

We arrived on time at 6pm, were seated instantly and introduced to our waitress who promptly took our drinks order. 

I was excited to try the Beefeater Festive Menu as I had heard good things about it in other restaurants but this didn't appear to be available. In fact there were no festive decorations to speak of although being November it was perhaps just a little early. So we took our picks from the standard evening menu and admired some of the quirky beef-related artworks mounted on the walls while we waited for our starter.

Because we went in the evening, I cannot say what this restaurant is like in natural daylight. Of an evening it is bright but cozy and has an air of familiarity that you come to expect from a Beefeater. The atmosphere was homely but vibrant and very family friendly. All of this was reflected in the staff who were extremely welcoming and a pleasure to talk to. The Royal Oak is also wheelchair friendly with great disabled access and the staff are more than happy to help with any needs or inquiries.

The food itself was wonderful. There is a fantastic selection of starters with three vegetarian options. In the end I went with the pulled beef in red onion gravy, yorkshire puds and a horseradish cheese sauce. This was a tough act to follow. The shredded beef proved to be a bit of a balancing act trying to keep it from falling off the well portioned yorkshire pudding pieces but this starter was amazing. I would've been happy even to have this as a main course.
My husband opted for the sticky duck wings. I was surprised with the amount of meat you get from these wings and the sweet chilli glaze gave the perfect kick to the dish.

Our main courses weren't far behind. Despite experiencing some technical issues, our meal choices were taken down and they were brought to us in good time, hot and delicious!

I figure you can't go to a Beefeater without eating (more) beef, so I had steak and chips and my husband went for the mixed grill. His dinner went down a treat and while my beef was ever so slightly pinker than I'd expect from a medium, it was an excellent main course and tasted great.

For dessert my husband scoffed down a giant sundae before I could even focus the camera, and I asked for the raspberry bakewell with ice cream. It arrived with custard and actually I think that turned out for the best! The slice of bakewell was rather large and came with a generous helping of custard to be poured over it. This was absolutely delicious and rounded off the evening meal perfectly.

I'd like to say a huge thank you to the Royal Oak for having us. I had a wonderful time sampling the menu and taking in the friendly atmosphere on a Friday evening. I'd thoroughly recommend this restaurant to anyone in the area and I'd completely and absolutely suggest that you try the pulled beef starter.

(This review was given in return for free, delicious food. This has no bearing on the content of the review and all opinions are my own.)

Top 5 Christmas Movies

No Blogmas is complete without a mention of festive films and a list of our favourite flicks of the season.
As mentioned in my Christmas Bucket List, I aim to watch my top 5 movies between now and Christmas Eve.

There are films that could go on this list (Die Hard, Home Alone, The Grinch) but this list is for those Christmas movies that I go back to year after year without fail.

Santa Claus The Movie
The one where an elf runs away from the North Pole and tries to find his way in New York.
The heartbreak when my little sis spilled orange juice on the video tape rendering it unplayable will never be matched ever. Thank heavens we grew up and bought our own copies on those new fangled DVD things.

Elf
The other one where an elf runs away from the North Pole and tries to find his way in New York. I was a bit of a Will Ferrell hater until Buddy showed up but this is a film that the kids and I love equally. Basically if you don't like Elf you're a cotton headed ninny muggins.

Love Actually
Billy Mack, Top of the Pops! This is my Christmas Eve movie. Last minute wrapping next to the tree with a glass of Baileys falling in love with Mark in that scene where he's probably being a douche by declaring his undying love to his best mates wife.

It's A Wonderful Life
After the wrapping is finished, Love Actually has ended and the Baileys isn't far behind I sit alone and watch this. And I cry. And I remember all the times I mocked my mum for crying at a silly old black and white movie. And I cry some more. Attaboy Clarence.

Polar Express
I was still living with my parents when this came out and I didn't see the appeal at all. But it's actually a very sweet film that has fast become my childrens favourite movie. It keeps them quiet which is good enough for me... and who doesn't love Tom Hanks?

Okay, okay...

Die Hard
It just felt wrong leaving it out, ya know? Yippee ki yay.

Enough now...

Christmas Bucket List

Good evening folks!
Do you, like me, enjoy making lists? My usual starts as a well meaning To Do List first thing in the morning which eventually turns into The Big List Of Everything You Didn't Do Today by mid-afternoon.

But there's something about this time of year that makes me want to do a Christmassy bucket list. So without further ado, I present to you The Little List Of Things I Probably Won't Get Around To This Christmas.

What are your "must do" plans for the holidays? Do you have a Christmas bucket list? Let me know what you'd add to the list in the comments below!

So This Is Blogmas

Hooray, it's December!

One day into Advent and I've already put my poor young boys in their Christmas jumpers, made a gingerbread house (out of paper, not actual gingerbread so... just a house) and sat them down to watch Polar Express with hot chocolate and marshmallows. To say I'm feeling festive is something of an understatement so I've decided to channel my Christmas cheer by taking part in Blogmas this year.

Every day from now until the 25th I'll be posting to the blog. It won't necessarily be about Christmas every time but I'm fairly certain I'll cram in as much festivity as possible in the next 3 and a bit weeks. Here goes!

Way To Go, Scarlett & Jo!

It's been five weeks since I began #thisisplus, a campaign for diversity in models and plus size representation on the high street. Of course there are a few brands who already do this and the first brand that always comes to mind when I think of equal representation across the board is Scarlett & Jo.

If you've ever searched for a brand which supports, no, LOVES to design beautiful functional clothes for ladies with curves and rolls, you need look no further. Scarlett & Jo is the one.
They don't take small patterns and make them big. They make patterns which consider curves from the outset and create timeless classics in fabrics and styles which flatter and fit plus sizes, from tunics to maxis to 40s style tea dresses.

Previously only available at Evans, Scarlett & Jo have recently extended to include Yours Clothing amongst their resellers and today they launch their very own website at scarlettandjo.com.

I'm so excited by this as Scarlett & Jo have been the frontrunners in championing every body and showcasing their clothes on models of different sizes, shapes, ages and heights for a very long time.

Long may it continue!

A photo posted by Scarlett & Jo (@scarlettandjo) on Oct 10, 2015 at 4:26am PDT

A photo posted by Scarlett & Jo (@scarlettandjo) on Oct 10, 2015 at 4:38am PDT

Don't forget to visit Scarlett & Jo and check out the different ranges at Evans and Yours Clothing (where their purple velvet prom dress is to die for).

#THISISPLUS at Curve Fashion Festival

It's been a week since the launch of the #thisisplus campaign and I have been completely bowled over by the response. Hundreds of submissions have come pouring in on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and email, showing us that us plus size shoppers really do feel left out in the cold when it comes to "plus size" high street advertising campaigns.

I want to thank everyone single one of you for supporting this campaign in its infancy. You are all amazing individuals and it could not have happened without you. Thank you!

Beauty In All Shapes & Sizes

I'm sure you are aware that Curve Fashion Festival took place over the weekend and despite not being able to attend the event myself, I was inundated with photos from the incredible Daisy (daisysays.co.uk) who flew the #thisisplus flag in my absence.

Thank you Daisy!

By all accounts the Curve Fashion Fest was the place to be last weekend for any plus size fatshionistas and I'm so proud that #thisisplus was not only represented but also supported by so many.

Ruby, Becky,  Steph
Sharon, Tanya, Kat
Nikki, Daisy, Sarah

I am more inspired now than ever before to show brands who we are and why we're not happy with this promotional image of plus size in all its 5ft 10in size 16 hourglass glory. This Is Plus and it will not go quietly.

Lucie, Lisa Riley, Lottie

Remember to tag your images on Instagram and Twitter with #thisisplus and keep sharing!

#THISISPLUS - The Campaign For ALL Plus Size Bodies

We've all seen by now the plus size campaigns by the likes of Evans and Lane Bryant, championing all shapes and sizes and throwing around catchphrases and hashtags like 'Style Has No Size' and 'Plus Is Equal' whilst parading women around the high street and in shop windows.

In Case You Missed It...

But these campaigns have left a sour taste in the mouths (and fingers) of social media users the world over.
People are quite rightly asking, if style has no size, why are all of the models on the lowest end of plus size? Where is the size 24 model? The size 32? Where are the women of colour? Who is representing the petite among us? Why can't we see a shorter model amongst the 5'8+ leggy ladies?
It seems that unless you are tall, white and have and flat tummy to complement your size 16 hourglass figure, then plus is NOT equal.

But it should be. It has to be.
Who out there will represent my hanging belly? Who represents Sarahs 4ft 11 in frame?

Sarah blogs at plussizeproud.co.uk

In the same way that we can't get style inspiration from a size 6 mannequin, we can't be inspired by barely-plus models posing for photoshoots in shop windows. Plus bodies are so so varied and we need the clothing industry to realise that. To represent and inspire ALL. OF. US.

Inspirational plus size bloggers Katt (fatgirlforlife.co.uk), MoG (murderofgoths.co.uk) and Tanya (secretplussizegoddess.com)

#THISISPLUS is a tag for everyone but specifically anyone who feels that the high street plus size campaigns do not represent them. For the petite ladies, the older women among us, those of us with visible belly outlines or darker skin or a shape that differs from "industry standard."

#THISISPLUS is for you.

The world is not made up of industry standard people. We should not have to aspire to fit these standards. The outdated ideals are old fashioned and need a fresh start. We are all beautiful in our bodies and we deserve for those bodies to be represented fairly.

#thisisplus exists to show the international plus size industry that they need to take note. To change things up and start celebrating ALL plus size bodies, not opt for the same old formula that showcases only a tiny percentage of the people it is supposed to represent.

#OMCZ - Bare Arms

Its the weekend! And the time has come for me to rejoin the Outside My Comfort Zone challenge! 

For various health reasons over the past few weeks,  I've been a little bit rubbish on the blog front so hopefully this challenge will keep me focused and get me back on track.

This months challenge is Bare Arms.

This is something that I struggled with even as recently as last year. But this year I realised that the world won't stop and stare even if my upper arms are giant so I might as well just get on with it.

These are a selection of my most recent sleeveless faves.

How do you feel about having your arms on show?

See what the following bloggers thing by clicking their links below.

Steph
Sarah
Becky Brown
Nikki
Leah
Natalie
Gillian
Mary
Hollie
Becca
Sam
Sharon
Lottie
Kaye
Katt
Kathryn
Mookie

Bodyshaming Instagram has banned #curvy

Only a few months ago my account with Instagram was closed without warning. On the same day, I encountered a group of other users raising the same issue on the Instagram Facebook page. The only thing we had in common? The word curvy in our usernames. I kicked up a bit of a fuss and my account was reinstated with no official explanation. 

I thought that was the end of my experience with their unacceptable body shaming but Instagram has caused a storm once again with its shameful restricting of certain search terms. 

From today, if you search for the hashtag #curvy, you will be met with this page.

That's right folks. The curvy hashtag has been filtered out of Instagram searches to show no results. 

I was informed that this was also the case for #skinny and #thin but upon investigation I have found that you can search for these hashtags and after accepting a content warning popup, you can browse the results freely.

So... why the total ban on #curvy? Can they not think of an appropriate warning?

An update from Buzzfeed:

A spokesperson from Instagram said the hashtag #curvy is not searchable because, according to the company, it was being used to share images and videos that violated Instagram's community guidelines around nudity.

But of course searching for clitoris or cunts is still entirely okay.

I find it disgusting that this filter is in place yet you can find hundreds of fatshaming images with a few clicks.

So heres the deal: I don't want to miss out on all the beautiful curvesome photos that the users of Instagram have to offer so from now on I will be using #curvee on my IG photos instead.

Please feel free to do the same and spread the word. 

Date With A Prom Dress

Last month I spent a lot of time trying on clothes in Evans (as can be evidenced by my From The Changing Room post) but I was stuck with the dilemma of only being able to take home one item.

I tried on dress after dress, even a pair of trousers! And what did I choose?!

This!
The mesh insert prom dress has flown off shelves and it's easy to see why. The quality and attention to detail in the Scarlett & Jo dresses make them many fatshionistas favourite brand and one of the main reasons to visit Evans.

This dress has a mesh panel which reveals a gorgeous sweetheart neckline and an elasticated waist which gives this dress the signature Scarlett & Jo Prom Dress look.
Lucky for me this dress is also lined with a net petticoat which helps it retain some shape even on the most blustery of days!

My biggest little was feeling a little left out and joined me for a photo. Check the hands on hips pose!

Sadly our photo session was cut short thanks to the wind and a shaky tripod. Perhaps he'll join me again soon, who knows!

Outtake anyone?

Unfortunately this dress is now sold out but Evans currently have a fantastic sale on and many gorgeous Scarlett & Jo pieces have been slashed in price.