WINNER!

thank you all so much for entering the Competition!!

We have counted all the comments and emails, but sadly not the twitter reTweets, as for some stupid reason Twitter decided it can't go back further than a few days when doing a search now, So a HUGE apology if you retweeted the comp for extra entries.

anyways.. using Random.Org.. we have a WINNER!!

lucky number 17

who according to our emails, from 1st upwards... the winner is

Amy (twitter ID @and1moremeans4)

Well done!

For all of you who entered to become a product tester/reviewer, We will be in touch soon after Christmas with details!!

We hope you all have a wonderful Christmas and New Year

Look out for the relaunch of Sophie4Sophie on the 25th January!!!!

lots of love,

Natalie, Big Sophie and Little Sophie!

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Its competition time.....

November has been a very busy month for the Sophie4Sophie family!

we've had birthdays, Meet ups, and lots of spending money! LOL

As December is going to be an even busier month for us all, we've decided to close the S4S doors from the 29th November - 25th January! (a 2 month break! Whoohooo!!!) so please, if you want to order anything for the festive season, don't wait till the last minute to order!!! as we might not be able to guarantee delivery!

but throughout this break, we will be sitting on our butts working on new ideas! we already have a few but we're after some more! we thought the best way to find out some new ideas would be to ask... YOU GUYS!!!!

so we've come up with a plan.. which we think will work super duper!

A BLOG COMP!!

so here's what you gotta do...

1 - become a follower/reader of our blog. (if you already are, YAY - Thanks!)

2 - become a Twitter Follower (if your signed up already! if you're not.. why aren't you?!!!!!)

3 - leave a comment on this post, saying "hi..."

4 - included in comment, give us your ideas for future Sophie4Sophie products!

5 - let us know if you'd like to become an exclusive Sophie4Sophie Reviewer/tester for our new products! (by contacting us here!)

6 - for extra entries, you can ReTweet this blog post mentioning " Sophie4Sophie " in the tweet.

7 - write a short blogpost and link back to this!

8 - if you're a facebook user, please become a fan here and leave a comment on our wall (every entry counts!!!)

thats it!! (thats it... thats effort!)

Right... for the prize.... for entering this competition, you will be in the chance of winning:

A super cool, Sophie4Sophie Dress of your choice! (if your a mumma to a boy.. you can have some funky Sophie4Sophie pants instead!!) RRP £23-32

2 x Sophie4Sophie kinky bibs (one normal and one Kinky Katcher!) RRP £16.50

and also... a super cool 20% discount to send to 3 friends who you think might like to order from us!

does this sound like a cool competition or what??!!!

all entries will be counted up after the closing date, allocated a number starting with "1" and so on.. depending on the number of entrants! we will then put this into a random number generator. the winner will be the Chosen number!

We will display the image of this generated winning number and will inform the winner by email (if you provide us with your email address!!!) & by posting it on here!

CLOSING DATE IS: 15th December

(we will not be providing the prizes in time for Christmas! sorry!!)

please please enter, We really want to know what kind of things you'd like to see from Sophie4Sophie, even the most crazy random ideas (these are normally the best ones!!!)

thanks so much!

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the shocks of being a sneak

I've been working really hard the last few days, I had such a back log of work which needed to be done. The kids have suffered quite badly, I've been stuck upstairs sewing and they've been down stairs making chaos and going slightly insane from cabin fever!
So when they asked if they could play at a friends house (friend was at the front door) i said ok, I was just about to go into town to post some things and said, I would call the friends mum when i got back. (The friend lives literally opposite my house, i can see his front door from my front room window!)

I spent a good 30 mins in the Post office, there was a cue as long as my street! took ages to sort out which postage options i wanted to use.. scared of overseas packages going missing and not sure if i should trust the normal 1st class recorded! I did send the secret sale things by recorded delivery, so please if your waiting for your clothes, let me know when they arrive & so sorry for any delays!

After the post office,  I went into Boots to collect Sophie's newly ordered toothpaste! guess what flavour???
yup, that's right! In The Blooming Night Garden flavour!! (mildly minty)

after Boots, Soph, 4yo and I decided to stroll around the corner to the Supermarket!.. i was concentrating on Soph, wanting to stop at every shop window and have a peek.. when 4yo said "Hello.. R.... (6yo's name)" I thought.... huh???? "R...." what is he doing in town?? i looked up and saw BOTH of my children, and their friend hanging about outside the supermarket by the benches where all the teenagers hang about.

Well you can imagine what happened next.. I SHOUTED so loudly, the teenagers started leering and mocking me! I was fuming.... What the heck where my 2 kids.. (6yo & 8yo boys) doing in the town????
i said, "where is your mum 'T'??" he said, "Not Here" in a fooking sarcastic voice... *Grrr my blood is boiling* I told 'T' to GO HOME NOW.. and ordered my children to follow me into the supermarket.

8yo's wailing commenced, "I'm sorry mummy..... I'm so sorry mummy" (Guilt is a tough thing) I punished them both by making them carry my shopping baskets and purposefully picking heavy items! (hehe)
also at the same time, ramming into them how disappointed i was, how dangerous it was to be out on their own, kidnapper shock stories, etc... the crying was getting louder!

I told anyone who looked at me about what had just happened, just to make 6yo & 8yo feel even more ashamed. they got a telling off from them all. Good I thought.

Walking home, we stopped at the newsagents and bought some sweets, and lollies! (god knows why Soph & 4yo wanted an Ice Lolly??! crazy kids!) 6yo & 8yo DIDN'T get anything, I told them to wait by the door of the shop. here came some even more LOUD cries and faces of guilt.

as we got in the door 8yo said to me, "I guess I've got to go to my room now, as my punishment?"
umm... "NOPE.... i think you can tidy up the whole of the living room!!" (BTW.. you couldn't see the carpet before we went out! so not an easy task!)
all through tidying up though, 8yo was bawling his heart out. but also, complaining of a really really bad foot?
"its hurting so much mummy, i cant stand up... I cant walk... mummy...."
it might sound harsh, but i told him to 'shut up' and just get on with it. he got so bad, he even started chocking on his own breathe (you know those kind of cries that worry you when your baby does it!) but i was adamant, "No.. 8yo, just get on with it"
after about 15 mins of mummy Sargent major laying on the biggest guilt trip and punishment known by my kids, the living room was spotless (almost makes me wonder why they aren't more naughty more often!)

8yo calmed down, I told him, the only reason why his foot hurt was because of his guilt, manifesting as a physical pain.
I know exactly when 8yo is lying, (been taking lessons from sky1's 'Lie To Me' programme! I'm now officially a PRO!!)
his foot no longer hurt and was quite relaxed! (OMGosh, he really is an over the top drama queen!) hew asked for a cuddle and i gave him a great big huge one. i hate being so cruel to him, but i needed him to understand what he'd done was appalling and despicable behaviour. he is NEVER going to play with his friend over the road again.

6yo all through out took it on the chin.. (God.. he's just like his dad!!) he did the cleaning, the tidying, the sorting out, all without a peep! he didn't cry once! I was just as hard on him as I was on 8yo, but Nothing, no emotion or forgiveness. this drove me crazy, I wanted him to show that he knew what he'd done as wrong, but NO... argh... nothing phased him. how could i get it through to him what he'd done was wrong??? without resorting to corporal punishment or extraction of his fave toy of the week?? (which is a stuffed elephant! he even made it a Halloween outfit!!)

so now... the question on my mind is:
"was i too hard on my boys???  and is it ok for them to be outside the house on their own?"

i have let 8yo pop to the local newsagents or at some desperate times, Boots & the supermarket. but all on express terms and he always takes a mobile phone with him, so i can call him constantly!
did 8yo think that he could go? because I'd given him permission to on these occasions? or was he just being naughty?
I asked him why didn't he say to his friend "I'm not allowed to go down town on my own?" and he said, he didn't tell him, as he wanted to go. he wanted to be 'cool' with his mate!
6yo said he only went because the other 2 were going and didn't want to be left alone at friends house?

I then thought about calling the friends mum? should i ring her up and accuse her son of leading my boys astray? (she allows her son free reign, literally.. he's always wondering around the streets till 9/10pm)
I didn't ring her, as I'm a scaredy cat! she's a common pikey gypsy lady  brash woman!

but then, I allowed them to go to the friends house, I was aware of the dangers of them getting up to mischief, but in the friends house!! not on the fooking streets of the town!

what would you do?

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My Wordless Wednesday on a Thursday with Well... words!

A lot of you who follow me on twitter know I've been working my not so little ass off decorating my bedroom in preparation for my new IKEA office which was delivered on Tuesday!

Well here it is... its not completely finished, as the white walls still need a 2nd coat, and the organising of "stuff" will hopefully fall into place as i start to use all the things i've stcked on top!

It was amazing to see how much fabric i'd collected over the months, I kept thinking I hadnt got that much, but when you see it now... OMGosh.... I have LOADS! even under the desk I have another 3 bags, a bedside table and 4 of the holes, FULL of more fabric! 

the net curtains i have tied to the curtain pole are the cut offs from my IKEA cheap £3 nets! which im going to layer and tun into some curtains! can't wait to see how they turn out!!

well anyways.. here are the pics!  

dont you just LOVE the little plaque natalie from www.preciousparcels.co.uk made me!!

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wordless wednesday: My week in pics!

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wordless Wednesday: Reason #4 - why I love my Stokke Xplory!

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the Price is Right...... or is it??

I've been messing about with new dress ideas for a while now, so today, instead of doing my work (shh... don't tell anyone!!) I thought I'd have a go at trying to make some up!

I 1st had a go at a circle dress I've been promising @mummytips, but the fabric I'd bought was pants, it kept sewing really badly! So... until I can buy some more fabric, that dress, is going to be shelved! at least I did get the pattern drawn up and saved for another day!

then I started on another dress! This is a personal favourite of mine.. its a simple style and a great shape for showing off a large printed fabric (which I've got tons of!) I've even bought some fabric especially for making into a dress this shape and I cannot wait to make it now!!

I 1st wanted to do a mock up dress, just to make sure it worked out OK.. it did! (i knew it would!!) so I've decided to run another competition.. using the mock dress!! (don't worry.. its in perfect condition!!)

NOW as per the title of this post.. its inspired me to run a kind of not so free competition! (stay with me on this.. I will explain!!)

I've decided to make this competition a bit differently!

Will the Price be right?? I want you to think of a price.. any price.. (but one your willing to pay!) for this dress!! i can be anything from £0.0001 pennies... to... £11.11 or beyond... the limit is yours?!?!!

The winner will be the person with the most unique *£* price they would like to pay! and are willing to pay this amount! So in fact.. your not actually *winning* the dress.. your winning the dress at a price you'd like to pay! in the most unique amount!

made in Alexander Henry 'Tattoo' fabric, the dress is age 18-24 months.. but it should fit up to age 3-4 *NOT age 5 as stated before, Sorry!!*

OK.. you say.. I'm interested in this competition, but where's the dress?? well here... (below!! LOL)

To enter the competition, Please send an email to play@sophie4sophie.com with your 'Price is Right' price!!
you can enter via twitter too, all you need to do is add @soph4soph in a tweet along with your 'Price is Right' price!!

the competition will run for one week! closing date will be the 6th of September @12am!

there are NO LIMITS to the number of times you enter! so enter as many times as you like!!

GOOD LUCK! and have fun!!

dress measurements are:
Chest - 12.5 inches or 32cms
Waist - 14.5 inches or 37cms
Length - 20.5 inches or 52cms

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Norway Rock Sophie4Sophie

The owner of Tamo (our 1st EU stockist!) had told me a while ago that a top Norwegian magazine had wanted to do a feature on her shop and she'd like to use the Sophie4Sophie dresses!!

Whooohoooo!!

yesterday, Bárbara Reite (Tamo owner!) Emailed me with the fabulous news that it was published!!! she included a couple of photos for me but said she would send on a copy of the magazine to me in the post! how cool!!

our 1st published feature in a magazine!! so exciting huh!!

Here are the pics..

I wish i could read it! but i'm sure whatever it says is funk da funk cool!!!

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a wordle Quickie!!

I just read this on twitter: "@enhance_me: http://www.wordle.net/ - Word Clouds are Beautiful!"

Word clouds??? what are word clouds?? so off over i went to the website to take a look..

OMGosh... what are word clouds... they are THIS:

i love it!! i've just spent about 30 mins messing about with colours, fonts, layouts.. I could spend hours playing with the words & things... I think i might actually!! LOL

anyways, I just wanted to share this with you all!! Thanks @enhance_me!!

(on the wordle website it states: If you use a screen-capture or other image representation of the Wordle on this page, you must attribute the image to http://www.wordle.net/. Images of Wordles are licensed . So here I have!!!)

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Mamascarf.... The Toddler Review!

A while ago.. I stopped wearing nursing bras.

I am still breastfeeding, but I was FED up of wearing the awful HUGE uncomfortable nursing bras available (FYI.. I wear a 34LL cup!)

I've never been shy of feeding, but now that I have stopped wearing nursing bras, feeding Sophie has become a tad more difficult! especially whilst out and about..

I've bought myself some moulded cup shape bras and when I want to feed I have to Yank my boob out, over my top/dress and have a FULL on naked 'boob' view!

I've tried wearing cardigans/shrugs to keep my modesty, but with the super unpredictable weather.. I was often forgetting to take one out wth me! also, I have tried using blankets, but Sophie wasn't too keen on these as she preferred to be snuggled up with them.. not having them over her head!

Then I noticed @mamascarf on twitter, I had a look at the website and was Super impressed!!! It was the answer to my needs!!

normally people who buy mamascarf buy at birth or within the first 3 months, Sophie is 21 months old! Would the mamascarf work on a toddler? as most babies being fed using a mamascarf, at the age of 21 months would be used to being fed this way!

I contacted Keira at Mamascarf and asked if i could try out the mamascarf on Sophie!
the scarf arrived the next day.. wow! instantly I had to try it out! the fabric is amazing, I love the tactile texture of the nobbles!!! Sophie loves twiddling it in her fingers!

the design is so simple, by following the instant & super easy instructions, I was adorning the mamascarf and offering Sophie a feed!!She loved it! normally Sophie's a right wiggler when feeding, she loves being nosey and it drives me crazy! but inside the mamascarf she was great, she focused on feeding and became very settled and calm!

another fabulous thing about the mamascarf is the size.. a newborn baby can fit completely inside the scarf! Sophie is HUGE for 21 months, but even so, her head and whole upper body fit inside the mamascarf, which took a lot of her weight off my arms! YAY! (but please note.. mamascarf is NOT designed to carry a baby)

We've been using the scarf at home, especially when my sister's new boyfriend has come round (i think he'd run away crying if he saw my huge boobs!!) and we've taken it out with us everywhere we've been!

On Tuesday this week, we took a trip up to London and Sophie was hungry on the train going up! within seconds I was wearing the mamascarf and feeding Sophie with no one around me any the wiser!! it was fab! Also whilst eating our dinner in Ikea I fed Sophie and no one knew what i was doing! it was fabulous!

the fabric is very lightweight and doesn't take up any space in your bag! but also... if you want to, you can wear the mamascarf as a scarf! it looks very stylish, I can see me using it way after I've stopped feeding!!

it washes at 30 degrees in the washing machine, and as its such a lightweight fabric, it dries super quickly!! less than 2 hours in the South-east sunshine.. amazing!

I would definitely recommend the mamascarf to all breastfeeding mummies! had I known about it when Sophie was born, it would have been my 1st purchase, but even now at 21 months old.. its still a wise investment!

The mamascarf comes in 3 different colours, Blue chambray, Black & White! (I received the black one!)it also features a cute little corner pocket in the centre bottom point, which is fab for keeping a spare breast pad in OR as Sophie prefers, a toy!!

You can order the mamascarf directly from their website, its priced at an amazingly reasonable £15.99 (+ £1.95 for P&P in UK!)

(I received my mamascarf for free, in return for a unbiased, toddler/mother feeding view to using the mamascarf)

I'm so glad I had this opportunity as its probably the best breastfeeding aid I've ever used!!

Thank you for letting me review for you mamascarf! Here a few pics of us using the mamascarf!!!

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a 'meme' from meme!

I've been tagged by 2 wonderful bloggers last week yummymummytips and Sandy Calico , with this thing called a meme? I love reading things about people, it really makes you feel like you know them better (or even just a fab excuse to be nosey!!)

Now if you know me, I'm not the kind of person who hides things... ask me a question no matter how personal and I'll answer! I think knowledge is power.. i ask Questions ALL the time, like a kid.. "but why...." and "if you......" and so on... My bosses always used to find it incredibly annoying, but I was always the 1st to excel and get promoted.. I love learning.. and NEED to learn.. my needs nurture.. especially as I'm not studying anymore.. Roll on next year when i go back to Uni!! WooHoo

Anyway.. I'm digressing... here are my answers to the 'meme' on Well 'me' lol

1. Who is the hottest movie star?
Movie stars don't really do it for me... but if i had to choose, it wold be Vin Diesel.. for 2 reasons only.. His Voice.. OMGosh.. he could talk me to sleep any day! Its so deep and powerful, I love it!! and secondly, his muscles!! I am a HUGE muscle fan! I used to do bodybuilding (before soph was conceived!) my fave muscles are the shoulders.. Oooh.. i love those bumps and dips... I HAD those... one day i hope to have them back... (or a man with some of his own, so i can ogle his!!)

2. Apart from your house and your car, what's the most expensive item you've ever bought?
My stroller... the wonderful and amazing Stokke® Xplory® I've never bought a house.. or a car (can't drive at nearly 30 years old!) but the Xplory is the BEST vehicle I've ever driven! it was and is the best investment I've ever made.. I wanted the Yellow Xplory Sooo Badly, i saved for Months to afford it! I know people will think I'm crazy for spending over £1000 on a stroller, but really.. it has been the best ever EVER item I've ever bought.. it brings so much Joy to mine and my daughters life.. We love the attention it brings, but MOST importantly, it bring my daughter and I closer together! we talk, play, chat ALL the time and she's the most content child you'll ever meet.. and I 100% put that down to her 'ride' if ever i could endorse a product.. the Stokke® Xplory® would be 'it' LOVE IT, LOVE IT, LOVE IT! you can see my blog post on it here!

3. What's your most treasured memory?
I would have to say.. that through all of my treasured memories, the one which will live with me for the rest of my life sticking out the most, would be the moment my 4yo son was born. HE wasn't due till March, but was born on the 12th of December 13.5 weeks early. I was all alone in the theatre, I even did the LONG walk to the operating room All alone, just with my thoughts and the fear of what might happen. to be honest, i didn't want anyone there.. this was MY MOMENT and i needed to deal with the situation alone. I won't go into the whole process of his birth, as I haven't ever written it down, or gone through it with anyone yet, still too painful and sore, but I will never forget it. After the operation, he was whisked away, and i was left in recovery at 3am. Another couple had hard their baby before I had gone in, (as i was rushed in, they didn't move this other couple out of recovery before i was put in there.. and I'll never ever forget.. Laying there in the Dark, NUMB from the agony of not knowing anything about my son & hearing this other couples baby cry.... just crying... and I had a sense of calmness come over me, I kept thinking... his baby could be my baby.. the crying soothed me, It helped me concentrate on my own son.. I hoped he'd be crying.. up in his tiny incubator.. I needed Hope! (but as you all know, my son is still here! He did survive the fight and is my constant reminder.. that HE IS my most treasured memory!)

4. What was the best gift you ever received as a child?
As a child i was spoilt.. we came from a very wealthy middle class family and I always got what I wanted.. (spoilt brat syndrome!!) the best gift i ever remember receiving was a my little pony castle for Easter! we always got given at least 10 eggs and 2 presents, I hadn't even asked for this castle, So i was SOOO pleased when i had got it! I loved it, I was never into barbie.. my friend had the house, with the moving lift.. and sun terrace on the roof.. but I LOVED my castle.. and the dragon 'spike' that came with it, He was my best friend!!! i still have him somewhere!

5. What's the biggest mistake you've made?
I don' think I've ever made any mistakes I've regretted... but probably the biggest one was letting my mum catch me with some (shh...) illegal smoking thingymabobs!!
she got me kicked out of school at 13 years old and I went down hill after that.. (again, i wont go into details, but it was the slippery slope that helped me lose 10+ years of my life!)

6. 4 words to describe yourself: a 'mum' Trustworthy, Honest, & Bad-with-money

7. What was your highlight or low light of 2008?
the highlight of 2008 was starting Sophie4Sophie with my sister, we were so bored one day, we bought a Skirt & vest top from a shop in the sale and took it home to create something new for (little) Sophie to wear! the outcome... the Sophie4Sophie pants!

8. Favourite film?
I don't have a favourite film, but was saying to my friend the other day, my only tom cruise film I like is 'war of the worlds' and i think... this film is in my top 5.. as is 'I am Legend' and 'Hancock' I love will smith..

9. Tell me one thing I don't know about you.
um.. one thing that you may all not know.... I could tell you that i was Married... before i had any of my babies... i got married at 18, to the Guy i was with for 3 years... I'd cheated on him, dumped him twice, but got back with him as it was the easiest choice!.. we got married as it was the natural progression of our relationship! he proposed to me at 4am in the morning.. he'd just got in from work and slid the ring on my finger saying.. "we're getting married.." I didn't even notice it till the morning (thought i was dreaming! but not in a GOOD way believe me!!)
I split up with him about 1.5 years later.. I kicked him out of my mum's (we were living there at the time!) and I sold the rings the next day! Harsh cow aren't i!!

10. If you were a comic book/strip or cartoon character, who would you be?
If i could be a super hero I would have to be..... Peter Pettrelli, he's just like Sylar but in a good way, he can absorb powers to use for good... I would love to help and save people.. and how Kick ass would it be to be able to fly, be invisible and Read minds!!!

now, I know i am meant to be passing/tagging some wonderful blogger friends, BUT i think.. most of you have already done this 'meme'
I'm the last to partake i think!! hahaha!!

Anyways, I hope you've all enjoyed reading a bit about me!... I really should be working... LOTS of exciting news to BLOG about next week...

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Caption comp Winner Revealed!!

so... after giving the entries to my sister and 8yo son, they couldn'd decide on 1 winner... they chose 2 and these are the winning entries.. BIG Sophie chose 'allgrownup' for her fab one liner!...

its such a great Caption it had us all in stitches... it is exactly how Soph jumps onto my arms!!!

and my 8yo son loved this Caption entered by 'pramrock' he's really into angels and things, he always calls Soph an angel.. so he thought this was a good Caption for the picture!

Well done to everyone who entered, i'm so sorry you all couldn't win, as I loved all the entries..

So... the Winners... allgrownup & Pramrock... Congratulations, you have both won a 'Kinky bib' in your chosen fabric, please could you both email me at hello@sophie4sophie.com with your details, and I will also include your special discount code, so you can have 25% Discount on anything else you wish to buy from us at Sophie4Sophie!

thanks again to everyone who entered, Please keep looking out for future competitions! in the mean time, we'd like to offer everyone a special offer of 10% off any order placed between the 24th and the 31st of August! Just Quote "caption" when getting in touch!

Don't forget you can find all our latest fabrics on the Flickr photostream and keep upto date with all our latest info on Facebook and Twitter

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The apparition of a Geisha in the Bathroom

I've had this piece of paper sat in my bathroom for ages... every time i go into the bathroom i think.. this is interesting.. I can't remember what was spilt on it.. but i think it spilt into a very cool shape... What do you think it looks like... To me it looks very much like a Geisha

I don't know why It appears as a Geisha, is it meant to mean anything?? I always think that things appear for a reason, and this has sat on my mind for ages... why a Geisha and why is it on a piece of paper which gives advice on parenting techniques?

am I reading too much into this apparition of a Geisha?? I've Googled the phrase and in fact there is a painting called "the apparition of a Geisha suite" .. not sure its connected but......

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Soph4Soph's 1st blog comp.. Thanks to @juicytots!!

Hi everyone, I'm so sorry my blog has been super ignored for ages.. I never realised how much time it takes to think/write and publish posts.. Especially when all 4 kids are hovering around me like flies 24/7!

I have promised to do a few new posts, so whilst i'm working away from my computer today (blitzing the Kicthen and trying to fit in a marathon sewing session!) I thought I would post the photo my 8yo took last night of Sophie! She launches herself onto my arms when i'm trying to type (ok chat on twitter!!)

I published it on Twitter and it had everyone in Hysterics!! My good friend and Sophie4Sophie Stockist @juicytots said "@Soph4Soph stop it! It looks like it should be in the humorous cards section, you could do a comp on your blog for the caption!"

I thought about it and Yes.. it would be fab for a Competition.... here is the photo:

please forgive what im wearing.. its my old trusty Bavado nursing bra!! not a good look (especially without a Tee on!) but super comfy!!

So Competition:

1. think of a "caption" for the photo


2. choose a favourite fabric from my Flickr photos


3. leave your Caption & choice of fabric in the comments


4. ENTER.. as many times as you like!!!!

The winner will win a 'Kinky bib' in their choice of fabric! and a 25% discount off a Sophie4Sophie dress or a pair of Sophie4Sophie pants!!

The winner will be chosen by my 8yo son & business partner BIG Sophie!

The Competition will close on Friday 7th August at MIDNIGHT!!

Good Luck....

UPDATED: this is Sophie's 2nd fav position of trying to scupper my Twitter/type in peace!!

If you like, you can think of a caption for this one too... All entries COUNT.. so enter as many times as you like!
the funnier the Better!!......

Loving the comment's so far too... So funny.. I can't stop laughing!!..... Keep it up!

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craving cupcakes!

On twitter, I follow a fair few cake bakers... I'm so in awe of how amazing they are!!

meet... @amylane, @fashioncake and @mumswhobake

I'm so jealous of their skills! and over the last couple of days, I've been reading their blogs, Surfing mumswhobake's website and desperately wanting to eat cupcakes!!

now, I do bake cakes... but the one's I've seen are amazing, The Birthday cakes that @fashioncake made, are so so so cute! it was her son's 2nd birthday and she made him the most wonderful Iggle Piggle cake! Look...

amazing isn't it! So talented... I wish I lived closer to her, I would be buying cakes for all my kids birthdays!... I can't wait for her to find out if she can mail order cakes... I'm going to be her 1st customer if she can!!!

@amylane was twittering yesterday about her cakes... and her classes she's been going to, She'd blogged about it all too, So off i went to be nosey.. and OMGosh.. what did i find.... amazingly crafted flowers, cupcakes and fabulous cake toppers.. Oh.... how jealous am i! Then, also on twitter, she added a picture through twitpic of a birthday cake she'd made for a friend's son!..

Here i was sat in front of my laptop.. wanting to lick my screen.... I so needed to eat that cake... its amazing... Look.....

then she put another picture on twitter... this was torture... look.....

I am desperately in need of a sugar/cupcake fix now... how amazing are all these cakes...

Then only a few moments later, @Mumswhobake put up a tweet about her Xmas stock shopping and a new cutter/puncher she'd been using to make snowflakes for her Christmas cakes... and Look.....

how super are these!!!! I have to buy this cutter to make my own springy Christmas snowflake cake!!! I'm in love!

But... all this cake loving and wanting made me soooo hungry for some of my own and I didn't have any ingredients in the house... so couldn't satisfy my want... I had nothing sugary in the house... so had crackers & butter! bummer huh!

So.. today's plan of action was, whilst taking boys to their Samurai class, I would buy the ingredients to make my own cupcakes.. Not on a scale like these wonderful lady bakers.. but hopefully something special enough to satisfy my cake needs!!

I'm also suffering from major PMT this week! I'm so stressed! so I thought I might incorporate some chocolate into the cakes, normally I use bournville cocoa powder, but I wanted something a bit more solid.. so looking along the candy aisle in the supermarket, I saw buy 2 for £2.50 big bars of cadbury bars.. (the big ones!!!) and thought.. ooh.... Crunchie & Caramel... how yummy would it be to put a chunk of each in the middle of the cakes... So i did!!!

Also, I only have a red food dye, but didn't want bright pink butter icing on the top! the boys have an aversion to pink! so.. i made half of it pink and left half white.. and put it in the piping bag to make it mix up!!!!

Here's my results... Now be warned.. they are no where near as fab as the wonderful twitter bakers... but they tasted yummy.. and the choc chunks worked out great!! they sank.. but still worked out well!

the buttercream did turn out a bit too pink so, I thought i'd better put some of our left over black holographic edible glitter on them!.. they look fab don't they!! Wish i had more colours of the glitter though.. maybe some red, gold, pink, purple, green, orange... Oh heck.. i wish i had ALL edible glitter available!

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Proud Mummy moments!!

Well.. so much for my blogging every night... How useless am I!?!

My 1st proud mummy moment happened over 7 days ago now, I really shouldn't have taken so long getting this up for you all to read!

my 8yo son had his 1st Samurai seminar at Falmer university, Brighton and it was amazing, He loved it! I was so proud seeing my son take part in the demonstrations and prove to his sensei that he deserved his next belt (white with a yellow stripe!)

here is a picture of him doing a Demo:

the demonstrations and training went on for about 2 hours...it was amazing to watch and 8yo really tried hard to do everything right!

He was one of the youngest & smallest there! (apart from the kid they partnered him with, he was a titch.. Poor boy didn't know what hit him when 8yo threw him over his shoulder/back!!

and when the boy had to do the same move on 8yo... No chance!! poor kid!

he loved every minute of the morning, and was so excited to see his mum & dad (rare that dad ever does anything/go anywhere with mum!!) sitting in the viewing area upstairs! he kept looking up & waving!!!

after the demonstration, all of the sensei put together an assault course and split the kids up to compete! (they even let 6yo join in! which he loved!!!! here's a video of them all!!

*6yo is the one in the Bright blue top!*

after the assault course, the head sensei took them through their grading, then sat them down and gave them all their certificates and new belts... they were told to take off their white belts and to put their new one on, but 8yo was given an adult size belt and it was so funny.. watching him trying to put it on!!! it was HUGE! it took 3 sensei to help him.. Poor boy

here is 8yo with his certificate... I'm so so proud of my eldest son.. he's amazing!

Now.....my 2nd proud mummy moment was going to see 6yo in his school performance.

it was called "Stella the Starfish" and was all about a starfish who'd lost her family and had to travel through the mgical ocean to find her family.

6yo was a Turtle.. not just any Turtle, but a depressed, grumpy Turtle!! He'd been singing the songs for weeks... so i'd learn't ALL the words! but was excited to see how a turtle this grumpy could be played into the performance...

Well.. here's the video of him singing his song.. He's the one in the middle of the screen.. (bopping!)

the words to the song are:

"snap, snap, snap, i'm Terry the Turtle,

grump, grump, grump, keep outta my way,

My flippers are tough & i'm feeling rough,

So just - leave me alone Today"

"Snap, snap, snap, I'm Terry the Turtle,

grump, grump, grump, keep outta my way,

My blood is all cold & i'm feeling old,

So just - will you please Go away"

"snap, snap, snap,

Grump, grump, grump,

Read MY beak

NOT AT HOME TODAY"

*this was just the verse.. I could remember the whole thing!!*

(but loved the bit about turtle soup!! lol)

here's a picture of him in his costume, He's looking a tad shy.. awwwww!!!

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