It’s been three years since I finally ditched the habitual new years’ resolutions – I was done with the yearly new year new me that inevitably would fall by the way side before the end of January. I’m not the biggest lover of winter, I was made for all year round warmth and with Christmas stripped back it’s plain old dreary. However starting last year I decided not be sucked into the negativity of January – no blue Monday for me; instead I chose to focus on all the things that January brings: productivity, purpose and new starts.

Now before you collectively roll your eyes at me, I promise I’ve not gone completely new age on you. For me it’s abut not allowing the mass negativity of the new year to drag me down. I look for all the opportunities that the fresh calendar brings; after the joyous but inevitably manic month of December there’s something calming yet energising about a quieter month.

And now I’m going to completely contradict myself: One of the best ways to start your year with as much positivity and productivity is to plan ahead. Knowing that I struggle with January it was great to have a bloggers retreat booked, which saw us fly up to Inverness for a breathtakingly beautiful couple of days – leaving me refreshed and recharged ready for the remaining winter months.

Big thank you to Mel for this snap of me from out recent trip to the Scottish Highlands

As cliche as it sounds, January is also the perfect opportunity to take a step back and take the long/wider view – be it professionally, personally or simply trying to find the illustrious balance between the two. Looking ahead to the year shouldn’t fill you with dread instead, with excitement as to what the year may hold.

January isn’t about changing the story of who you are, it’s the chance for a fresh page, a brand new chapter on the most exciting story… you.

When I announced I was expecting Boo lots of women said the ‘thing’ about my hair… “enjoy your hair while you can”, “you’ll lose half of that once you give birth”.

The truth is that because I suffered with Hyperemesis Gravidarum I never ‘benefited’ from luscious pregnancy hair, looking back at the rare photos of me when I was pregnant my hair looked limp, weak and lack lustre – exactly how I felt! So post birth I was lulled into a false sense of dodging the post pregnancy hair loss; how wrong was I…

My hair loss didn’t begin until Boo was a few months old, first it was a a few extra clumps in the plughole but before long I was waking up to handfuls on my pillow – as much as I tried to tell myself that it didn’t matter and that it grows back, Not only was it severe but it was sustained; I couldn’t help but be devastated every single time I realised I’d lost more hair.

Postpartum hair loss is just one of the many types of premature hair loss that is experience by thousands of adults every year. FUE hair transplant is a solution for longer term hair loss problems.

My postpartum hair loss did eventually slow down and had completely stopped by the time Boo was 20 months old. I was considered lucky by many as I had extra thick hair to begin with so my hair loss wasn’t noticeable to most and even now whilst I regained some thickness it is nowhere near as thick as it used to be. Yet as Boo’s hair continues to be her golden crowing glory, I prefer to think less of it as hair loss and more passing it down to Boo…

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It’s that time at last! Any parent will know what I’m talking about when I say let’s just get there now. The advent calendar is old-hat, the school play that has taken up every waking thought has been and gone, and now it is full-on Christmas mode and excitement levels are reaching fever pitch.

It’s funny, though, isn’t it? Christmas is a family time, and is five, ten or 100 times more magical when you’ve got little ones around. New year, on the other hand, is seen as the grown-ups’ event, and whether that means buying advance tickets for the privilege of spending hours in a crowded pub, or sitting at home feeling terribly high-brow as you watch Jools Holland go through the same old routine, new year doesn’t really seem geared towards the kids.

Turn back the clock?
Is it just because it involves staying up till after midnight? I really don’t think it would cause too much lasting damage one night a year!
Of course, for the littlest ones, staying up till midnight is unlikely to be practical, so why not have an early new year party just for them? Make it 9PM, and they will still feel that they have stayed up to do something special.

Avoid disaster
Any gathering has the potential for accidents, and when there are elevated levels of excitement and kids staying up after their usual bedtime, this is definitely increased, so just be ready for anything. Have a first aid kit on hand to tend to those sprains and bumps, and prepare for the fact that there will be plenty of spillages.

Commercial businesses need to order caution signs in order to comply with safety laws, and while that’s not a legal prerequisite for your kids’ party, a couple of those wet floor signs to pop up when you’ve had to do the inevitable mopping up exercise will prevent little heads having pile ups.

Countdown to the big event
New year is all about the countdown, so why not schedule events at hourly or half hourly intervals to build the tension and keep everyone entertained? The following is by no means prescriptive, but could give you some ideas.

6:00 – Make some noisemakers. This is a fun activity for kids of all ages, and the adults always end up getting completely carried away with it too. All you need are some kitchen or toilet roll tubes, wax paper (old Christmas wrap will work at a push), elastic bands and plenty of coloured pens and pencils for decorating. It couldn’t be simpler.

7:00 – Resolutions time. Everyone write three resolutions down and shares them with everyone else. Then, make resolution bracelets as a reminder of your commitment! They are very easy to put together, using beads and string.

8:00 – Funny selfies with silly hats. This is the age of the selfie, so why not have an official selfie session? These silly hat designs can be downloaded, printed and cut to shape, then stuck to craft sticks as props.

9:00 – Happy new year! Make it authentic by watching the time tick over to midnight in a live stream from somewhere that is three hours ahead, or cheat a little with the wonders of YouTube.

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I’m a big believer in socialising children from a young age – and as Boo is an only child I felt it was even more important to do so to ensure that she was exposed to lots of children her age. Now that she’s six and a half I’m proud of just how open and friendly she is to children and adults alike. I’ve socialised Boo in a number of ways including holiday kids club when we’re travelling, day nursery and extracurricular activities and team sports from a young age.

Being so sociable has meant that up until now I’ve never used a babysitter for Boo – and if I’m completely honest I’m not too sure where to start. Thankfully I don’t have to go it alone in the quest for all things babysitting thanks to Sitters.co.uk – giving you everything you need to know about finding a babysitter. Knowing that you can hire a babysitter who isn’t just available, but is trustworthy and experienced, is invaluable. Knowing that you will be paying appropriate and competitive babysitter rates for your area gives you peace of mind; it’s free to register. You can find out more here.

Parents have peace of mind knowing that all babysitters booked through Sitters.co.uk are referenced-checked and pre-vetted meaning you can rest assured that your children are in safe hands leaving you free to enjoy your child free day/evening.

Unsurprisingly New Years Eve is the busiest night of the year for babysitters but you can find lots of hints and tips on how best to find a babysitter or NYE on Sitters.co.uk – you can even discover the going hourly rate dependent on your area (thanks to their postcode checker), which is a great way of ensuring that you’re getting a competitive price while making sure that babysitters receive fair compensation for a night when they’ll be most in demand.

So whether you’re heading out for a big bash this New Year’s Eve dancing until dawn or prefer to keep it more low key and see in the new year with friends at an intimate dinner party, your babysitting dilemma is easily and reassuringly taken care of by sitters.co.uk

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Being a Londoner at Christmas does have its testing moments, from not being able to see your own nose as you battle the tourist clad crowds of Oxford street as millions (literally) head out for festive fun to overpriced roadside chestnuts. But then we glance up as we’re scurrying around there’s real moments when we appreciate the wonders of London such as Leadenhall Market. Situated in the heart of the old city, a district that is far too often overlooked by Londoners and tourists alike.

Pizza Express have been open in Leadenhall Market in what once was a poultry market since 2001 dating back to the early 1400s, yet an extensive refurbishment this year has restored the Grade 2 listed building back to most of its former glory. First appearances at the restaurant are deceiving, with seating for forty on the ground floor; head downstairs and you’ll be surprised as me to discover seating for more than one hundred in a amazingly lofty basement complete with original brickwork and archways.

It’s here that we were greeted with a glass of welcome Prosecco ready to start our pizza making party. I’ve been to a Pizza Express pizza making party before and knew that it’s a great ice breaker and the perfect way to spend a couple of hours with friends old and new. Soon it was time to head over to the pizza making stations where we got the chance to knead our own freshly made dough under the supervision of one of their chefs and before we knew it, it was topping time. I’m pretty particular about what makes it onto my pizza so this is my favourite part: artichokes, spinach, olives, onion topped with a fresh egg may sound weird but it tastes delicious.

Now I know it may not look like much but it tasted as good as it looked; there’s something so satisfying about eating something you’ve made with your own hands from the dough up. We spent the rest of the evening doing what we do best: eating, drinking and laughing.

Trust Pizza Express to take care of festive fun with pizza, Prosecco, old city of London charm not forgetting the obligatory dough balls…

Disclosure: A fee was received for this post.