Well they make me feel good anyway.  The lovely folks at Interflora spotted I was having a pretty tough week last week and sent me a bouquet – how nice is that?!  I need to bring you up to speed on what’s going on with me, us, life at Lancaster Towers and I will in more detail I promise, but for I had a tough week last week. 

To be honest I was, no other word for it, whingeing about it on Twitter.   I am trying to get back to work, I landed a big proposal, Mr L was supposed to be home was away again.  It was the second week of our new childcare arrangements (which are totally brilliant) but it all felt a bit new, mixed with meetings, deadlines and professional work wardrobe, nothing f*cking fits, clothing and footwear dilemmas!  OMG do not look at my feet, these boots are made for the noughties and I should be shot!  So last week it felt all a bit out of control and overwhelming.  I worked until 3am Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday night, juggled the kids, made the deadlines, no one died and we all lived happily ever after! 

There was a silver lining around this cloud in the form of a rather beautiful bouquet!

Thank you Interflora, yes it absolutely made my day, it cheered me up no end, I continue to enjoy them, 6 days on and they are all still blooming lovely.  Thank you for the flowers and reminding me how lovely it is to receive them. 

*Ahem* Mr L – you seem to have a been excessively absent this term – you might want to take note!  So tell me does your husband buy you flowers?

Have you heard of Pushchair Trader?  Well if you own one or more pushchairs or are going to be buying your first, second, third or in my case fifth pushchair you need to know about Pushchair Trader.  Think what AutoTrader is to cars but for pushchairs – buy and sell new and old.  Simples! 

I am selling at least one if not two of my current four pushchairs … because I need space in my hall … well I need a Cosatto Yo in my life and my husband is going to lose it if I don’t get rid of at least one! 

There is also a competition to win the celebrity favourite Cosatto 3Sixti Highchair over on Pushchair Trader’s Facebook Page which is open until midnight on Saturday 2nd October 2010 all you have to is spread the word about Pushchair Trader… by posting a link on Facebook, on a forum or on your blog, in the spirit of being open and honest this will be my entry!  So what are you waiting for?  You’re in with a chance to get your celebrity highchair for links!

Do you know what?  I think I might be a mummy blogger!  Just a teeny tiny little bit of one!  Shall I tell you why?  Because it says so right here in the new Cosatto catalogue!  Oh don’t try to read it from the photo you can order your own copy for free here!

So how did that happen?  Well I “met” @Cosatto_Tweets on Twitter who were searching for product reviewers (I reviewed the You2 double stroller).  You can take the girl out of marketing but you can’t take the marketing out of the girl, a great conversation with their creative director and I was back in the marketing consultancy saddle.  The rest is almost history, I tried to get a few mummy bloggers to write a post on pushchair jargon, there was a decent budget on the table £150 to write it, some bloggers were on hols, some committed to other pushchair brands, some had families that had grown out of that lifestage, some were just a bit shy and modest about their own blogging talent.  Unable to find someone, I did it myself.  It never made it to the Cosatto blog instead it landed a double page spread (pages 8 & 9) in the Cosatto Catalogue. 

My second favourite page, I have favourite pages its weird I know but I’m in marketing that’s how it is, are pages 22 and 23 all about Facebook and Twitter.  I love these the most because this is all from real tweets sent by Twitter Mums when asked “Why is twitter great for mums” so a very big thank you to everyone on Twitter who replied for their input. 

So that’s my news, I’m not very good at blowing my own trumpet but I do feel a bit proud that with a baby on my hip, a toddler at my ankles, a husband nowhere to be seen most of the time, I’ve manage to find and juggle a fantasic and very lovely client and be referred to as a mummy blogger.  So what do you make of that then?

Indeed Manchester’s #TwineUp is just a matter of days away!  A quick reminder of the details for you…

Date & Time:  Thursday 30th September 2010, I am going to head there for about 7pm til late!

Where:  Sweet Mandarin 19 Copperas Street, Manchester, M4 1HS

If this is the first you’ve heard of it and you fancy coming along please do, this is an open invite to all tweeters, twitterers, bloggers, blog readers etc.  Some of the Twitterati I believe will be attending include …

me, the nervous one getting there first wondering if anyone else is coming!
Amy
Bobbie
Amy (Rural Mummy!)
Manda
Alison
Claire_T
Laura
Ellie
Karen Phillips
Kate
Lisa
Vicky
Jennifer

If you can let me know you’re coming its helpful for numbers – by comment below, email lancaster.claire@gmail.com or DM to @Cheshire_Claire  unexpected surprise arrivals will be welcomed with open arms

If you are reading this in the South and feeling all a bit left out, never fear, this Cheshire Mum is going on tour in October!  I will be heading to The Baby Show at Earls Court in London 22-24th October.  Current plan is to be at The Baby Show on Friday 22nd October, the fabulous Cosatto team are attending, not to be missed and we will be heading out on the town that evening too, fancy a vino?

I am then Tweeting up and Twine-ing out with Bec & the gang down in Brighton on Saturday 23rd October for more details go here!

This morning a dear and very funny friend of my sent this very interesting and short UNIVERSITY  STUDY -  I just had to share!

A study conducted by Sydney University’s Department of Psychiatry has revealed that the kind of face a woman finds attractive on a man can differ depending on where she is in her menstrual cycle. 
 
For example: if she is ovulating, she is attracted to men  with rugged and masculine features.  

However, if she is  menstruating or menopausal, she tends to be more attracted to a man with duct tape over his mouth, a spear lodged in his chest and a cricket bat up his arse whilst he is on fire.
 
No further studies are expected on this subject.