Hotel Luxury Wherever You Are

I am a Mum. I have two fabulously cute boys who love mud pies, arts and crafts, Minecraft and water guns. One goes to school, the other to pre-school for two days and a child-minder for another two days. We have after school clubs and classes etc.

I am a full-time working self-employed copywriter and deputy editor. By full time I mean that I work 40-50 hours a week however I work these hours around the two mud-covered, giggling children.

I have a house. It is a beautiful house with a large lounge and dining room, a brilliant kitchen (with a Belfast sink no less), a large utility room (with magical washing baskets that refill as soon as you empty them), three big bedrooms, a bathroom to die for…. and it all needs cleaning and tidying regularly.

I also like to cook. In fact I love to cook and this means spending hours making everything from scratch, prepping foods, cooking and not forgetting the shopping!

I also insist on spending proper family time with the boys and my fabulous husband.

With only twenty four hours in the day you can see how I’ve become something of a juggling expert over the past few years. Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely adore my life and how busy I am but sometimes, just sometimes I start to get that slightly frayed around the edges, a feeling so many parents and workers feel when they aren’t getting enough proper sleep.

In an ideal world I would pack my bags every six months, kiss the kids and the husband goodbye and book myself into a hotel for a couple of nights.

To sleep!

If you’ve ever stayed in a really nice hotel you’ll know that there is something quite special about hotel bed linen. It is clean and crisp and yet it feels special. Perhaps it is the fact that you haven’t had to wash and iron it yourself however I fancy that it has more to do with the quality and luxury of it.
SimplePolycottonPhoto credit: http://www.mitrelinen.com/products/bedrooms/bed-linen/

Sad I know but when I used to travel for work sometimes, for training, meetings or when I used to run accreditation reviews on services (a lifetime ago before the children and before I started running my own business) I actually used to get excited about opening the door to my hotel room and finding a beautifully made up bed complete with hotel bed runners and cushions.

Sevilla AutumnPhoto credit: http://www.mitrelinen.com/products/soft-furnishings/runners-and-cushions/ 

As grabbing a bag and running off for some R&R isn’t an option (and besides, I’d miss Roy and the boys too much) I am working to create my own hotel room at home. I’m not talking about dodgy wallpaper and a minibar (although….!); I’m talking about a room that is calm and quiet and oozing with luxury. Roy and I work damn hard at work and at looking after the home and the kids so when it comes to bed time we deserve a special place where we can relax and enjoy a proper rejuvenating sleep.

Thankfully it is now possible to enjoy quality hotel bed grade linens at home too and so all I need to get hold of is a Do Not Disturb sign for the door and I’ll be all set!

My Top 5 Soap Moments

The lovelies at Mecca Bingo have challenged me to come up with and share my favourite five soap moments ahead of the British Soap Awards on May 25th. In the spirit of these being British soap operas I have decided to ignore Home and Away and Neighbours (although they have both broadcasted some fairly epic storylines and cliff-hangers!) and concentrate on more home-grown shows.

There are so many fabulous soap moments I have enjoyed including the Emmerdale plane crash in 1993, when Viv and Terry died, when Sarah Sugden died after Andy set fire to the barn, when Butch died (sob!), when Cameron died (I am a morbid beggar!), When Kat told Zoe she was her mother, pretty much anything to do with Kim Tate, Den Watts and Angie, Bet and Alec or our Babs but the list has to be written so here they are, in no particular order are my favourite five soap moments. Are any of these on your list?

The Coronation Street Joinery Explosion and Tram Crash

When Bradley Died (Stacey’s scream was haunting!)

When Richard Hillman Drives Gail & the Family into the Canal –  (jump to 7 mins for the actual plunge but the whole clip is amazing!)
http://youtu.be/8ebmfTRPH5A
When Janine Pushed Barry Off a Cliff (Bitch!)

And last but not least… where Roy tells Pat he doesn’t like her earrings! (It had to be said!)
http://youtu.be/LxfMM-B3bLA
I could fill page after page with top British soap moments however Mecca Bingo asked for only five and here they are. What would be your top five or even your top moment? I feel like I’ve missed out so many here!

mecca

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