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Pinch Punch it’s the 1st of the month!

May already, can you believe it. My dress is last season H and M. My trainers are Dune and on sale here 

(I wasn’t going to post this photo because I look shattered.  I am worrying like everyone else, its just showing on my face!!)

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How are you doing? Really?  April was a bit of a roller-coaster for me not going to lie.  The first week or so I was super productive, working, regular social media posts, exercise, stripped the bedroom wall paper then BOOM I Crashed.   I was crying a lot, my motivation went straight out the window and my sleeping pattern went to pot.  It was a low 2 weeks I’m not going to lie.  Everyone is coping different but most of our worries are the same.  Concerned about older family, missing my family & my best friend, money, work  & don’t get me started on how we are going to return to our new normality BUT as cheesy & repetitive as it sounds, we really are all in this together.  Things have massively changed but I always ( well apart from those 2 weeks) look for the good in amongst the bad.  I loved seeing photographs of the canals in Venice being crystal clear, the Himalayan mountains are in sight due to the drop in pollution. We live on the flight path and its so quiet. The sea and the rivers all around the world are thriving, the wildlife have got their life back.  The world does not revolve round us.  Mother nature was here long before us & I hope when routine starts again for us we remember that. I’m not turning all Greta Thunberg or joining Greenpeace but I do love nature & as the world slowly heels, it’s showing how much we destroy it.

Right I’m off to put my David Attenborough cap back in the wardrobe.

Chat soon

Marlene x

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Do I want them yes, do I need them no!

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The struggle of an online shopaholic ………. It’s usually early in the morning, I’m browsing my phone having a cup of tea with Gunners big head usually resting on my lap.

I check my emails & then instagram and boom ~ there they are, Marlene check out this dress, wow look at these shoes, you need another coat to add to your never ending collection – most of which are a size to small but I can’t part with – I’ll get into them one day 😉 the worse one, a £20 cup that my fav blogger uses, it is beautiful mind you but you see the pattern developing.

The moral of this story is I’m a sucker, adverts sook me right in and before you know it I’ve signed into my trusty PayPal & Bobs you Uncle,  a wee gift, “to me, lots of love me” Every week I start off – no purchases this week Marlene, you can do it, have some will power my girl, you managed to stop smoking for goodness sake so stop buying! It can’t be that hard you think but believe me it is. It’s up there with trying to loose that 2 stone I gained when I stopped smoking!

I want to get my teeth fixed & I don’t think it’s going to be cheap so I need to stop the impulse buying. I just need to think of this before beautiful items pop in to my add to cart!

If you follow me on Instagram or meet me in the street and I’m rocking a pair of beautiful pink brogues with a splash of leopard print, you will probably notice my trademark wonky tooth!

 

Love Marlene x

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8th March 2018

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“When women support each other, incredible things happen”

It’s International Woman’s Day today, a day to celebrate the women who inspire me and have a positive impact on my life.  With the famous hashtag #GirlBoss making it’s way through social media, we are seeing many women smashing it through life and encouraging others to follow suit, literally proving anything is possible when you work at.

I choose to ignore the girl-on-girl hate crime online, theirs still a lot of that around but on days like today I’m going to share my inspiring women with you.

Michelle Mone

I’ve read her book a few times and watched numerous documentaries, my god that woman’s got balls of steel.  I love her grit and determination to get where she wants to be whither in life or business.  Her work ethic and how selfish she is.  I know that’s a strange thing to say but women like Michelle get on so well in life because they put themselves first and that’s something that is hard to do and I strongly admire them for it.

Davina McCall

Davina is my fitness guru, I think I own most of her DVD’s.  She is proof that if you workout and have a good clean diet, you can live well.  We all know what we are supposed to be doing, most of us just don’t practice it.  She’s been in the industry a long time and there is a reason for that.  She comes across very natural.  Her 500 mile Sports Relief Challenge sticks in my mind. I remember watching it on TV.  I was crying along with her.  She pushed her body to it’s limits, she is a machine!

Helen Mirren

Style queen Helen with over 50 years in the industry, who else can pull off a leather biker jacket & converse looking amazing at 72!  Watching her strut down the runway as part of the L’oreal Beauty Squad in Paris she was loving life and the star of the show, you could see the admiration of the models passing her on the catwalk.  I hope I have some of her glam when I reach my 70’s.

My Sister in Law

She suffers from a rare form of cancer.  A young woman with two young boys to look after, at the beginning not knowing how or if she would be treated.  It was horrendous. Over the years she’s went through painful treatments lives in constant pain but never complains.  She just motors on, looking after my nephews & brother (he helps a lot too!), getting on with day to day life.  She is a trouper one of the bravest women I know and certainly someone I admire. xx

My Niece Sophie

The most head strong wee girl I know.  Since she was a toddler she was so independent wanting to dress herself,  never wanted to hold your hand walking and this has continued as she has grown.  She has no fear and pushes herself with sheer determination at everything she does especially her gymnastics, constant practice, practice, practice until it’s perfect.  She’s growing up in a world which is so uncertain but at the grand old age of 9 she already knows the values of treating everyone as an equal & I admire her for that.  She is amazing………girl the future is yours! xx

In China women get the day off work, in Italy and Bosnia they receive flowers, in Cameroon they dance in the street (to good!) what will you do today to celebrate just being you?

 

Marlene x

 

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A taboo subject for some; but recently I’ve been spending money like it’s going out of fashion.

My job entails 9 hours a day in front of a computer and mostly online, you know how it is, the adverts pop up luring me in……….come look at this Marlene, you’ll really like this and before you know it, I’m getting an email confirming the delivery date!

I’m carrying around everywhere I go this handy little jotter from the Zoella range.  On one side of the page is my list of things to do for the week and on the other, I’m writing my spending.  Talk about facing your fears…..

Its so easy now a days with the likes of Paypal and contactless, you don’t feel like your parting with your hard earned cash.  Now don’t get me wrong, my business started with Paypal, I purchase most of my online shopping with it & its an amazing secure service but it’s so easy to spend.

So far today I’ve bought a new pair of trainers, 2 chopping boards and I watched a you tube video at lunch time and the girl had a gorgeous pair of leggings with pearls down the side from Zara.  They were £25.99 but I went on to the Zara website and spent £71 it struck a cord, time to rein in it.

Please tell me I’m not alone…………….

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