My 2013 Competition wins!

Decided to make a separate page with all my wins on it.
The newest wins will be at the top and I will do my best to make a note of the date I won and the website / method I used to enter.
Some prizes may include photos and a separate post on the main page of this blog.
To prevent confusion I will only post when I have received the prizes and not when I am informed.
This is not me boasting or showing off in any way - initially I want to make a record of my wins - but also to prove to sceptics that you have to be in it to win it - and anyone can win a prize!


L'Occitane perfume set - Won from London Beauty Queen blog - received 31/12/13
Another Surprise win - Call the Midwife christmas Album - received 30/12/13
Surprise win - Crabtree and Evelyn hand cream! Received 28/12/13
Bissell Vac ad steam cleaner RRP £149 won from the Bissell comp on facebook ..received 23/12/13
Malibu cocktail shaker - another one... received 23/12/13
Aerial topper - won from Corsa website received 20/12/13
Malibu cocktail shaker - won from the advent competition - received 20/12/13
One direction love hearts.  won from life with ASD blog back in november received 20/12/13.
Nintendo XL 3DS plus game.  Won from times newspaper hourly competition on 16th/12- received on 18/12/13
2 Guess watches BEST PRIZE THIS YEAR... won through twitter Ernest Jones website 17/12/13
12 Personalised Christmas note cards - won from Blog received 16/12/13
Rudolf socks won from Utopia Bathrooms via facebook advent received 14/12/13
Set of nailvarnishes. won through a magazine. (13/12/13)
Cute sterling silver bird necklace won from Stretchmarks and sparkles blog. (13/12/13)
24 Berol Oil Pastels - won from Berol on facebook in Nov (received 12/12/13)
King Size duvet set - won from Tony's textiles voucher £25 voucher. originally won in nov received 10/12/13

Beauty products worth approx £70 Won from all that slap blog 30/11/2013
Braun in ear thermometer - Surprise win dunno where from 30/11/2013
Linen tote bag - won from real foods. co uk 30/11/2013
Craft set - won from Motivating mum blog - 28/11/2013
Gorilla Glue & mosaic craft book - surprise win 27/11/2013
60 slimming pills - won from GKH weightloss on facebook 20/11/2013
Pudsey bear teddy bear and headband. Won from Feel Good Drinks on Facebook 19/11/2013
Packs of Jelly Belly Jelly beans x2 - won from the instant win on facebook - 18/11/13
heat Holders socks won from family fever blog 15/11/2013
Tomy toys - surprise win. No idea where from!! 15/11/2013
£30 Primark voucher won from ridings shopping centre wakefield - 08/11/2013
Carmex Lip balm - Surprise win! 06/11/2013
Alana Cereal (Porridgewith apple and cinnemon) Facebook daily comp! 06/11/2013
Logo Billionaire game won from a blog received 04/11/2013
Cheerios grab to go 5 pack , surprise win 02/11/13
Cat ears pearl headband  won from hair trader on facebook received 02/11/13
Little Mix Collection 2000 make up box. lots of make up and goodies. Won through facebook 30/10/13
DVD - After Earth - won from Kiss radio website 28/10/2013
a Pair of rubber gloves (the washing up kind) - won from Bizzybee 26/10/13
Cushelle Koala - won through facebook app - 26/10/13
lambrini Umbrella - surprise win (25/10/13)
Dark Chocolate kit kat - Won from I love Brands on Facebook Received 19/10/13
Silver Sweet Rosie Earrings! Won from blog I think 19/10/13
Skwooshi set - like magic playdoh! won from a parenting website! Received 18/10/13
Book - Dear Sister - Won through Good reads - 17/10/13
Primavera Ginger and Lime Body wash - won from facebook like and share competition 16/10/2013
Hair mousse - volumising won from Twitter - Love your hair - recieved 16/10/2013
Book - The True German - Book about a WW2 Military judge! Won from Goodreads 14/10/2013
£10 Amazon Gift Voucher - Won from Aunt Bessies on facebook 12/10/2013
Poison Diaries bag - won from the Poison Diaries website! Received 12/10/2013
Cheese Hamper - worth £22 Won from the blog Fuss Free Flavours - Received 08/10/2013
Spontex Goodie box - sponges and other cleaning cloths! Surprise win which I didnt know about Received 04/10/2013
4 Rawhide dog bones - Won through facebook -received 02/10/2013
£25 George at Asda Voucher - won from facebook competition (E-voucher only) received 01/10/2013

Family Pass to the Deep (Hull) won from What to do with the Kids website - Received 28/09/13
California Raisons set -(pretty pants actually!) won from ?? Received 21/09/2013
Maybelline 14 hour lipstick Won from doing a survey for Fabulous online magazing- received 21/09/2013
Personal Planner- which is amazing!! Won from blog, Boo Roo and Tigger too - Received 21/09/13
Comfort Umbrella - Won from Comfort App on facebook, Received 20/09/2013
Martha Hill - Beauty set - won from Take a break - Received 19/09/2013
How to be the perfect Host Book - Win from a blog - I love food its all I eat! Received 17/09/2013
Wilkinson sword personalised Razor won through Wilkinson sword on Facebook - Received 14/09/2013
Pack of Greetings cards - Blog competition - received 10/09/13
Stationary from total merchandise - won from a like and share and comment on facebook received 07/09/13
3 dresses from Chi Chi - won from a daily competition on the Chi Chi website! Received 07/09/13
Yahoo notebook, pencil case and pen! Won from Yahoo - received 06/09/2013
McCains Limited Edition Sharing bowl (for Potato wedges) Won through mccains received 06/09/2013
Yakult mug - Runner up prize from a yakult competition on FB I think? Received 05/09/2013
£200 cheque from Thats Life Magazine - received 02/09/2013
4Packets of Frizz Ease from John Freida - received 02/09/2013

£5 Amazon Voucher - Won from Sophie Marie Hendley on facebook - Received 29/08/13
2 Dolce Gusto Cups and Saucers - Surprise win and I do not know where from! Received 28/08/2013
Gothic Necklace and earring set! Won from Mookychick - an email competition - received 28/08/2013
The Silver Chain- Erotic fiction by Primula Bond - won on twitter - received 19/08/13
Brita Water filter jug! Won through an email comp in Good Housekeeping magazine! Recieved 19/08/13
Rimmel Stay Matte Foundation - Won from Rimmel- Recieved 14/08/2013
Now you see me Goodie set (tshirt, pack of cards, lazer pen, ipad case, USB stick) Recieved 14/08/13
Maybelline 14 hour lipstick in pink colour! Won from Fabulous Magazine Received 13/08/2013
Imperial leather foam burst gel and facemask won from Imperial leather on Facebook - Recieved 1/08/13
Book - My Education by Susan Hoi  - Recieved 01/08/13

Special K cereal and Special K cereal bars! Won from the Kelloggs special K app on facebook - 26/07/2013
Book - Spirit and Dust by Rosemary Clement-Moore - Dunno where from - perhaps a Good reads competition? (18/07/2013)
Superdrug glimmer eyeshadow - in Golden Sand - won from Superdrug, but totally a surprise! (13/07/2013)
Book - Nearest thing to Crazy by Elizabeth Forbes - Won from Mumsnet - need to review this when I have read it! (12/07/2013)
Wax Stamp set (As in red blob thing used to seal letters originally!) (11/07/2013)
Fudge Hair Mousse - Raspberry and vanilla Won from Stella competition - (10/07/2013)
Some plastic food storage containers! Won from 'havent a clue!!' a nice surprise win when I returned from a school trip! (09/07/2013)
Dr Organic Bioactive skincare- organic virgin coconut oil (for skin, hair and nails) Won from the Stella Comp in june (Received 4/07/2013)
Finger puppets - won from the Hippy chick blog, received 4/07/2013
£10 Cheque won from Take a Break Magazine (issue 5 cashword) received 1/07/13 GOOD START TO THE MONTH!!!!!

Bakers Silver Dog bowl won on an instant win competition - received 29/06/2013
Higgidy cool bag and lots of vouchers for free picnic food. won from Higgidy cooks website (received 28/06/2013)
Lipbalm / lipgloss- won from Stella competition (Received 27/06/13)
/Yeo valley yoghurt goodie bag (lots of yummy yoghurt) plus seeds and cool bag. Won from GoodtoKnow website (received 27/06/2013)
Metoyou (not the blue nosed bears!) Daughter journal (won from a Blog) Received 22/06/13 RRP £12.99
Horrible Histories signed book (celebrating 20yrs of the programme and books. (received 21/06/2013
Bare Minerals lipgloss in Oh So Cosmo - won from Cosmopolitian Magazine worth £16 (20/06/2013)
Nails Inc - Nail varnish (Green) won through the Stella beauty competition (19/06/13)
Loreal Full Size hair expertise Ever Riche Shampoo, condition and hair mask. Won from Loreal website. (Received 17/06/2013) (approx £13 worth of stuff)
Elemis Papaya Peel - won fom Glamour Magazines Big beauty competition - (13/06/2013) worth £30
A 3metre by 6 metre Gala Tent Marquee - won through Gala Tents on Facebook- worth £300 (Received 12/06/2013)
A Family Annual Merlin pass for theme parks etc Won through facebook from the one stop convenience store! (Received 07/05/2013) (Retail price is £500)
6 Packets of babywipes - won from a blog I think? (Received 05/06/2013)
Watermelon lipbalm from body shop - won from the daily glamour competition in may received 3/6/13

Heineken Glass - Dont know where from arrived with no letter (25/05/2013)
Charles Worthington Moisture Seal Masque - Won from Facebook app. (25/0152013)
Box of Kelloggs All Bran Red Berry Crunch - Kelloggs app on facebook (25/05/2013)
RC Car, Huge Car Cleaning kit and Apple TV Device - Runners up prize from Men's Health Magazine - (23/05/2013)
Toni And Guy, Volume Plumping Whip - think I have won it through the glamour mag site (23/05/2013)
Bottle of Lambrini- won from facebook via The Lambrini page (22/05/2013)
DVD - Blood Simple - Won from emailing a saga comp - (20/05/2013)
Bee Prepared Daily defence herbal type tablets Won from the Vegetarian website (18/05/13)
Book - The Collector of Lost Things (Jeremy Page) Won from the little brown book company! (18/05/2013)
Spartacus Box set - Won from a film website - (17/05/2013)
Marc Jacobs Limited Edition Coke Glass- Won from Style it light website. (16/05/2013)
Book Six Weeks by Harlen Coben - signed! Won from the most wanted site - (09/05/13)
Book - The Sea On Our Skin - Madeline Tobert - Won from Twitter (7/05/13)
Lazy Oaf TSHIRT - won through twitter from a cider company (7/5/13)
OPI nailvarnish in red won from look magazing (2/5/13)
Hallmark childrens books and teddies - a huge box of them! surprise which I did not know I had won!! (2/5/13)
Blue 4 leaf clover necklace - won from the website us2friends. (2/5/13)
Billingtons sugar goodie bag- won from sainsburys (2/5/13)
Anne Dressed in Blood book- by Kendare Blake - won through facebook (1/5/13)
Love story with murder - book by Harry Bingham - won through facebook. (1/5/13)


4 Boxes of Kelloggs Cereal! Won through a blog (Received 30/04/2013)
The Girl Behind the Mask - book by Stella Knightly. Won from Shaz's book blog via facebook (Recieved 27/04/2013)
Jack the Giant Slayer goodie bag - 2 tshirts, hoodie, notebook, pen, hat and earphones! Won through a film website!! (in march) (24/04/2013)
JollyWobbles DVD (childrens Justin Flecter aka Mr tumble!) Won through a blog rafflecopter comp - (23/04/2013)
Primavera Intensive revitelising face cream. Won through a like and share competition on facebook. (18/04/13)
Sightseers on Blu-ray! Won through a film website! (17/04/13)
£20 scratchcard win After deliberation decided to put any lottery wins £10 or over on here. (16/04/13)
Mariella Mystery - childrens book! Arrived 15/04/13
Mackies icecream Voucher Won from answering a Mackies Survey! (Received 13th April) Worth £3.50
Office goody bag (Pink pen, chocs, teabag & cup) Celebrity angels - Received 6th April) - entered through a website.
Nestle Oats and more cereal - full size box- won through facebook (Recieved 5th April)
Google Nexus 7 tablet - 16gb - Gumtree competition - (Received 4th April) worth £180
Hotel Chocolate Easter egg - You crack me up - from the good natured company.A surprise win received 3rd April - must have won in March. Worth £27

£25 Amazon Voucher - this is bad but I can not recall what company I won this from. (Received 28th March)
Blog - Everyday things - Dior Nailvarnish - all the way from france. (Received 26th March) (Worth £20)
Elizabeth Arden - An eyeliner in iridescent Teal - Surprize prize - dunno where it came from (Received 19th March) (Worth £14.50)
SmartShopper - A Cuddly toy from Shrek - won through a facebook app. (Received 14th March)
Inside the Wendy House Blog - Won a brita water bottle with 4 filters. (Received 13th March)
Spontex - entered through a short facebook survey - won a cleaning pack with cloths and gloves - (Received 9th March)
Celebrity Angels - entered through website - Won a bronze necklace from LA Jewellery (received 2nd March)


Lingerie Stylist - through facebook - A playful promises set! (Bra and Pants) (Received 28th Feb)
Clean Campaign Andrex Facebook comp - some eye make up remover wipes. (Received 23rd Feb)
Books from Sharon - facebook like and share comp - 3 erotic fiction books - (Received 23rd feb)
Hair trade - a lovely black bracelet. - facebook comp (like and share) (Received 16th Feb)
Halifax Bank Plc - Facebook competition - daily entry - (Received 16th Feb)
Stardust perfume set - won through a Blog back in Jan - Thought it had got lost in the post. (Received 15th Feb)
Books from Sharon 6 erotic fiction books - won through a like and share competition on FB (received 11th Feb)
Botanics - Herbal creams - won through facebook (Received 7th Feb)
Le Powder Room Blog - 4 Mini Ciate nailvarnishes - amazing colours! (Received 7th Feb)
Batiste Dry Shampoo - Beauty uk lipstick - shade brown sugar - facebook competition - won Jan (received Feb)

Visionary Soap Company - selection of fair-trade organic goodies - won through Facebook - Won in January.
Galaxy hot chocolate - 5 various full size hot chocolates - won through the website - January 2013
Chelsea Mamma - A Lenor Sleep Sack- full of goodies like a mug, books, cds, lenor, hot chocolate, and a pillowcase you can draw on. - Won through the blog Chelsea Mamma - January 2013
Guide to the british - A book with some really fab illustrations - Won via Twitter - Jan 2013
PGUK - A instant happy book (see seperate post) - Won via Facebook - Jan 2013
Cloud freebies - £25 voucher - won on website - see seperate post.
ShoeZone £50 voucher - won through the website found link through the prizefinder - Jan 2013
Waterstones - GU cookbook - Dec2012
PGUK - Jimi Hendrix book - a twitter competition - dec2012

Social media and raising awareness of little known illnesses and incredible people!

This is a bit of an odd post, but one for some reason I feel compelled to write...... 

Now social media like Facebook and twitter can cause a lot of problems for some people - you only have to watch an episode of Jeremy Kyle and hear about some relationship destroyed by facebook. In fact there are TV programmes devoted to mishaps from social media sites. 

But Facebook can be useful in many ways..... Through it I have being educated on several inspirational people who are undergoing difficult times but still remaining positive and who work endlessly to promote awareness of their suffering. 

The main page that I follow is Claudia's Cause this is about a young girl who has Metastatic PineoBlastoma  a rare and aggressive tumour within her brain. Her family are a huge inspiration to me when I am feeling low and fed up, what they are going through on a daily basis is unbelievable. As a mum I find the whole family brave and incredible and I do feel honoured that through the regular updates we can be a part of the struggle with this horrible incurable illness. 

As well as round the clock intensive nursing the family are big fundraisers and advocates for charities such as  Headsmart an organisation devoted to helping diagnosis of brain tumours in children and young adults. Clic sargent a charity for children with cancer and Believe in Magic who help provide wishes and dreams for really poorly children. Only recently a Ball was held as a fundraising project and over £8000 was made to help these well deserved causes. It is this I find truly inspirational..... I don't know if I could have the energy or love to work tirelessly for others at the same time as witnessing the huge suffering of my child. I would like to think that I would be as generous with my time and as positive as Claudia's mum and dad, but in reality I think if I was in a similar situation I would fall apart. 

Only a couple of years ago I watched my dad going though a similar illness and I thought it unjust and cruel because he was only 50. Perhaps it is witnessing his pain and strength that made Claudia's story appeal to me so much? She seems to have the strength of a million men and seems to be fighting tirelessly against this disease which is debilitating her. 

It has touched me so much that I log into her page on a daily basis just to see how she is and how her amazing supportive family are doing. But when I have been reading the updates it seems to me that people are messaging offering their 'not so supportive advice!'  This annoys me so much-  how dare people pass judgement on this family when they are not walking in their shoes???? Could they help raise awareness and funds to help others when going though such life changing events?? Yes we as readers all have an opinion when someone is sharing intimate details of their lives with us....but respectful people would keep these opinions to themselves. 

That is just my thoughts anyway.... I wanted to help raise awareness of this amazing family and worthwhile causes they campaign for. I would love to be able to contribute more and offer a financial donation to the charities but until I get a job I am unable to. So if this post makes a few more people aware of the illness then I feel that is ok for now.... as soon as I am in a position to donate then I will. 

(If you want to read more of Claudia's cause then there is also a webpage here   http://www.claudiascause.co.uk/  ) 

12 Years on - September the 11th 2001 (Not the happiest post but a reflective one!!)

I remember this date 12 years ago very vividly. I know a lot of people will because of the enormity and scale of the attack and those in America specifically will remember it even more and probably for more personal reasons than me. But I still like to show my respect and think about those who experienced 1st hand the events of that date. 

I was 18 when it happened and had a 2 month old premature baby, which is why I think it hit home to me a lot more than if it had happened before my little boy was born. My son was ill when he was born and spent some time in special care - however he was cradled in my arms and I was snuggled up on the sofa watching my daytime soaps and telly. As a new mum I was absorbed in every little facial expression and movement my son made when all of a sudden I looked up at the telly. (I couldn't hear the change from the soap to breaking news bulletin because I was still deaf back then!!) But what I witnessed live on the news shocked me to my core! 

From the moment I turned the volume up I was engrossed in the events unfolding before my eyes. I wasn't even aware of these 2 skyscrapers towering above New York until this point - and to see the 2nd plane hit and then the subsequent falling down of them both made me cuddle my son that little bit tighter. 

As the years have passed I have always spared a thought to those involved closely to the days events, I have also since watched documentaries which focus on the events and heroes of the day. But today it is really important in my opinion to think about how lucky I am to be able to watch my kids grow up and become young adults. 

Broken arms and operations - the 2nd week of summer holidays! ! ! ! ! !

So it is the 2nd week of the school holidays and I decide that my son (who is 12) needs to come off his XBox for a bit and get some fresh air and exercise. With 2 dogs needing to burn off some excess energy and a 8 yr old daughter wanting to go on a bike ride I had the bright idea of taking them all the field at the top of my street!
It was about 3pm on Tuesday and the sun was shining and all 4 of them were having fun..... until my son fell off his bike! As a mum you can tell with the pitch and tone of their cry that they are in pain so without thinking I set off into a sprint to see what was up with him!
Holding his arm gingerly he said "Mum Ive broken my arm!!"

As you can see from the photo it really did look like he had done some damage! It was banana shaped!!! 

So we took him to the local Accident department where he was seen very quickly. An xray did confirm that it was broken but the break was bad with the bones not aligning! He had a plaster cast put on and then another xray which told us that unfortunately he needed an operation to realign the bones so they healed right! 

The hospital we were in did not have an orthopaedic team so we ended up travelling to Pinderfields hospital- children's ward. With his operation first on the list for the following morning we brought him home so he could rest here and have some nice food - I am firm in my belief that you feel better in your own surroundings! It was a bad night for both of us though - I didn't get a wink of sleep and he only managed a hour at the most! He was in so much pain!! 

By 7am Wednesday morning we were back in the children's ward and he was booked in for his surgery. I went down with him for his general and found it so difficult to see him so vulnerable and in pain - but thankfully all went well and he didn't need a pin putting in. By 1pm we were at MacDonalds drive through buying him his happy meal to take home! 

Settled on the sofa his shock finally set in and he was sick a lot - he still couldn't sleep much because he couldn't get comfy but he looked a little bit better than the day before! 

Now it is 2 days later and although he is fed up - he doesn't hurt and can almost manage to get back on his Xbox!! 

We have some more appointments at the clinic to see that it is healing right but hopefully things will go ok!!! 

I consider myself lucky because this is the 1st time in my 12 years of being a mum we have had to go to casualty with a childhood accident! The hospitals were amazing but even better my little girl is being fantastic and so helpful. Even though it is horrible he has gone through this it is nice to see how close we are as a family and supportive when times get tricky! 

Royal Baby Ramblings - viewpoints on the whole excitement from me and my daughter!!

Whilst watching all the coverage of the Cambridge's birth and the following celebrations I got called a Royalist! I would not say I was a Royalist exactly but as a history lover I think anything to do with the Royals will be talked about for years to come so I like to make sure I am aware of it and keeping an eye on current affairs! 

I did fully get caught up in the hype of watching the Lindo wing door on a live webcam even though I knew that the likelihood of seeing something was slim. I got so engrossed I even missed out on about 4 days worth of entering competitions! (Even the many comps that were about the Royal birth!!) Yesterday when I was waiting for the new family to emerge I even delayed making food for the kids so I didnt miss anything! So yeah perhaps you could say I have Royalist tendancies! 

But I never saw any significant Royal Births before and I do admire Will and Kate so much for their obvious love for one another so think they will do a fantastic job of combining royal duties with making happy memories. 

Watching the coverage was a first for me having been to young for Wills and Harry's - but to me this was even better because my kids watched it too we get to share the memory together. Now in years to come me and my little girl can say "Yeah we watched Cambridge Junior on the telly for his 1st royal wave!!" 

My daughter wrote some of her thoughts about it all down, so I thought I would include them on here to preserve them....

(From the mouth of an 8 year old girl.......)

"I think the Royal Baby will be a King full of courage and keep to the law. When I watched the News I thought he was so cute and I thought that Will and Kate will make good parents. I also think he will be clever when he is king! His mum and dad will look after him very well and the Queen will also love him."

It would be nice now if the family could have some time out from all the media intrusion, although I think William will ensure that they do! They should be able to go about things like walking in the park and meeting up with family without the fear of Paparazzi following them everywhere! But I probably have this view because of what happened to Princess Diana - you can't help but think of her at this emotional time. She would be so proud of how her two boys are handling themselves in this modern world! 

Where is my motivation?? (And not the Greenday lyrics but just in general!!)

Ive got no motivation (and even though I can not say that without the Greenday song dancing around my head) this lack of motivation is not helping with my blog posts!!
*What blog posts??? hahaha

I would like to say I have been super busy trying to change the world or training for a marathon - however that would be lying!! Ive spent more or less this past month trying to sort out the families financial situation seen as the other half is now unemployed due to his ill health! Entering competitions (for a change), battling with my ears and the ENT Docs (for a change!), helping kids with their homework (both have huge projects due in within 2 weeks). I have also been signing up to Uni after finally coming to a massive decision about my career!

So in a quick round up - being doing well with my competitions - won quite a lot this month (Feel free to check out the specific page on this blog dedicated to my wins!) had to sell quite a few of the prizes so I can afford clothes for the kids. But I have had some nice beauty treats which I have kept because like any other girl I like to have a bit of a pamper every now and again. I'm now trying to win a few things to put away for Christmas! I know that it is months away but unless my lotto numbers come up it will be a huge struggle financially - if I can win a few things to stash away and wrap up in December I am sure my purse would be grateful. So fingers crossed I will have a few more wins - I got a £10 cheque this morning so I am hoping it is a sign of things to come!

The financial situation is too boring to explain and I will end up going on a rant about the economic climate and current affairs - but slowly we are battling agencies and government policies to try and stay alive.

My ears are even more boring to talk about but its a massive part of me so I am not going to spare the details - since November 2012 they have been leaking that yucky gunk! Well finally they have just stopped piling me with Anti-biotics and drops and have changed their tune. Apparently it is mucus which is leaking from my ears - so I am now on an intensive course of flushing out my nasal passages for 6 weeks to see if this helps? At the moment it is painful on my sinus' and does not seem to be working on the wet lugs - but its early days and I want to give it a fair shot! In general my hearing is rubbish and sometimes even with my aids in sounds are muffled and can be difficult to understand! It is so depressing when it is constant and the hospital just seem to shrug it off as it is nothing. Would they like gunk dripping from their ears for 6 months? Probably not so why do they seem to think that it is nothing to me??

Oh and saved the most important update for last - IVE SIGNED UP TO UNI!! Again - and at the moment it is only Open University but I have studied with them before and am happy to have another couple of years with them whilst I try to sort out a degree! Because them I am going to a local Uni to do my PGCE which is Post Graduates Certificate of Education! I want to be a teacher! Well always wanted to be a teacher but life happened and circumstances told me otherwise! Well now since I have been volunteering with my daughters school I have realised how fulfilling and rewarding I find it so I figured why not reach for the stars and get my degree!!

So in a nutshell you have the reasons I have been absent from here for a while. I am sure I will add more updates on Uni and my ears in the future - I will also pick up my A-Z of dislikes when I get the chance!!

A - Z - D Drink drivers and the drinking youth culture!!

According to the Royal Society for the Prevention of Road accidents in 2011 there were over 10000 people injured by drink drivers. 280 people were killed whilst 1290 were seriously injured! (See source here...)

But most of the victims of drink driving accidents are those who are not under the influence - this includes the elderly and young children. Yet still some drivers still insist they are ok to get behind the wheel of a car!! I do not drive and nor do I drink but I am a daughter and a mum and worry on a regular basis how many idiots are on the road whilst under the influence. It is my worst nightmare that something could happen to my mum or my kids because someone could not make a responsible decision and either not have a drink or have a drink but not drive....

Times are hard in this country and I do not begrudge someone wanting a tipple to take the stress of the day away! But I do believe that one drink can lead to more and stresses can mean some people find it hard to stop drinking even when they are over their personal limit! 

And there are those people who do not work who spend all day watching telly and drinking - using benefit money to sit there paralytic  How does this happen?..... Looking around the supermarkets it is hardly surprising people can afford to drink so much and so often. There are offers on bulk buying alcohol all the time - and own brand alcohol is so cheap therefore it is not surprising that so many people drink so much so often......

For this reason unfortunately I can not see this problem getting better in the future- the government make so much tax on the sale of alcohol that they will not take measures to prevent this excessive drinking. They will not make it harder to buy alcohol when they can earn money from the sales. The state of the economy will mean more people will want a drink to eradicate the stress of life and in my opinion the country will get worse before the country improves. 

So I have a feeling this pet peeve of mine will continue for a long time - how many people will suffer from alcohol related accidents in the mean time????