I wrote a while ago, when I was trying for a baby, but never got around to publishing it.

Being DTGP (desperate to get pregnant) can make you a little obsessive and a little crazy. Each month you go through the same rollercoaster. This is my take on it.

A month in the life of a DTGP goes something a bit like this.

Day 1 – Sees the arrival of Aunt Flo. Check you’re stocked up with at least 30 different supplements, chinese herbs, homeopathic remedies. Make sure your good luck charms and crystals are by your bed/under your pillow. Do anything else you’ve been told (superstitious or otherwise) that might help you get pregnant.

Day 2 - Reflexology session to ensure you are destressed, come out feeling very relaxed. This feeling lasts all of 10 minutes when you get home to your children screaming.

Day 3 - Get some acupuncture, hate needles, but somehow manage to conquer your deepest fears for something this important.

Day 4 – See a healer (reason as above), in fact see anyone who will take your money. The more you do, the better you feel.

Day 6 - Get out the ovulation sticks. Disappointment because no smiley face

Day 7-9 – Test again for the elusive smiley face. Feel positivity flagging.

Day 10 - Still no smiley face, think you obviously have no eggs left and must be going through the menopause. Be grumpy and emotional all day. Rant at OH. Start doing a test both in the morning and at night.

Day 12 – Hurray, smiley face on stick. Feeling elated . Call OH to let him know about smiley face and that he has to cancel playing football/meeting his mates (delete as appropriate) as you need him for far more important things. Get cross when he doesn’t share your enthusiasm.

Have sex, because you have to. Try hard to pretend otherwise.

Day 13 - Have sex again, because you have to.

Day 15 – Examine your body for signs of pregnancy. Do you need the loo more? Are your boobs bigger? Any sensation in your tummy?

Hope, pray, do visualisation, think positive thoughts.

Day 15 - Convince yourself you are having pregnancy symptoms

Day 20 – 25 – Go to chemist and buy 25 pregnancy tests. Do one every morning, one at lunchtime and one in the evening – all negative.

Day 25-28 - Keep doing the tests, just in case.

Day 1 – Aunt Flo arrives again, last glimmer of hope fades. Cry, shout, scream, feel like a failure. Have a bottle of wine (or two) to drown your sorrows.

Wake up with a headache AND start the process all over again

I am a self-confessed beauty addict who spends more money on makeup and skincare than on clothes or anything else (except holidays). My favourite shops for buying beauty products are SpaceNK, Selfridges and Mac

Here are my top 8 products. They are all quick and easy to apply, essential for mums who have little time to get ready! They are also great if you have sensitive and problem skin – my skin is very sensitive and hormonal.

Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturiser £33.00 from Space NK

This is an excellent all year round product and provides light coverage and a lovely sheen.

Bobbi Brown Foundation, £27.00 from John Lewis

If you need a bit more coverage, this Bobbi Brown Foundation is ideal. I use Warm Ivory. It’s easy to apply and comes in a wide range of colours. I like the fact that it has a pink base, which suits my skin colour much better than a yellow base, which many foundations seem to have.

Many tinted moisturisers and foundations cause my skin to break out, however both of the above products are fantastic and my skin doesn’t react to them at all.

Mac Select MoistureCover Concealer £13.50 from Mac

I love this concealer as it can be use under the eyes to hide dark circles or on blemishes. I use NC20 but it comes in a variety of shades.

Lip gloss from Jemma Kidd £14.00 from Space NK

I love Jemma Kidd lip gloss because it’s not too sticky or shiny, so is perfect to use during the day. They come in a variety of shades.

Nars Blusher - Orgasm – £20.50 from Nars

“Orgasm” is a fabulous peachy pink colour powder blush with a shimmer, great for Summer and/or Winter. It’s their best selling blusher.

Bobbi Brown Bronzer – Aruba £24.00 from John Lewis

I really hate having pale skin so I use this bronzer all year. It has a subtle shimmer.

Laura Mercier Eye Basics – Wheat £20.50 from SpaceNK

This fantastic eye base makes sure eye shadow stays put all day.

YSL Volume Effect Faux Cils Mascara £19.80 in Black, from John Lewis.

I’ve tried so many mascaras but always come back to this one. It’s good for volume and length. Also comes in a range of psychedelic colours. I love the purple one! I’ve also recently been recommended the Dior Iconic and Lancome Hypnose.

I would also recommend Mac eyeshadows and eyeliners which come in a huge variety of colours.

In the Summer, my 3 year old and I were kindly invited to a Teddy Bear’s Picnic, hosted by the 5-star family-friendly Athenaeum hotel. Following on from this, they have just launched their Winter Wonderland playroom and invited us to the launch. My 3 year old was very excited and it certainly kick-started our Christmas.

The Winter Wonderland Playroom is full of Christmas decorations and toys from Hamleys for children staying at the hotel to enjoy. High Tea, served every Saturday afternoon for younger guests, is hosted by the kids concierge and one of the hotel’s resident nannies and includes toffee apples, sandwiches and delicious chocolate covered marshmallows. We got to try it and my 3 year old munched her way through most of the food!

Afterwards we were lucky enough to have VIP access to the opening of Winter Wonderland in Hyde Park, not far from the hotel. My 3 year old put on double-bladed skates and we attempted to skate around the ice rink, until my husband turned up and took over (probably not something you should try when pregnant). Then she went on various rides, that she absolutely loved. It was my first time there and I was really impressed, as I think I was expecting it to be really tacky.

The hotel is the ideal place to stay for families wanting a winter break. Families staying at the hotel for three nights in an apartment get ice-skating tickets, VIP after hours access to Hamleys and four hours babysitting. I just wish I didn’t live in London, so I could stay there.

For more information visit www.athenaeumhotel.com

I met Gintare, owner of Blossom and Jasmine , the Home Beauty and Massage company, at an event in Chelsea a few months ago. She suggested I might like to try out one of their home beauty or massage treatments. A couple of months later, I finally got the chance.

I booked an 8pm appointment, counting on the fact my 3 year would be asleep (and she was!). The therapist set up in my bedroom, I put on some music and lit candles. The treatment was an hour long, which was good because often they are only 50 minutes and I’m always left wanting more. It was fantastic, I definitely drifted off a couple of times. The best thing about it was that when she left I was already home and I could relax. The only downside was my bedroom was a bit cold but the therapist did cover me in towels.

There’s something to be said about having a massage at a spa because of the pampering and the environment. But, there’s also something to be said about having a massage in the comfort of your own home. You can relax, you don’t have to drive anywhere, and you can collapse straight into bed.

The company, set up in 2009, has grown rapidly, with therapists available across the UK, attracting film stars, supermodels, TV presenters, corporate and fashion clients, and busy working mums. They offer from pregnancy massage, reflexology, facials and waxing, to make up lessons or special occasion makeup, hair styling and pamper parties (and Princess Parties for 5-16 year olds too)

The cost: a one hour massage with Blossom and Jasmine is £55. It’s not unusual to have to spend £90 for an hour’s massage in London, so the prices are very reasonable.

www.blossomandjasmine.com Tel: 020 3137 7170

(They are available across the UK).

I was recently asked by Photobox if I’d like to review their services in exchange for a credit. Having just been to my Grandparents’ 50th Wedding Anniversary party at Phyllis Court in Henley, I thought it would be a great opportunity to create a photobook of the day to give to them for Christmas.

The photobooks are customisable. You can choose everything from the size, to the cover and the layout. You can also pick premium quality paper and a sleeve to keep the photobook in. I picked an A4 hardback photobook (starts at £23.99 for 26 pages).

It did take a while for me to work out how to use the Photobox photobook system, which was a bit frustrating. But, once I’d got to grips with it, it was fantastic (and very addictive). Being a complete perfectionist, I spent hours swapping pictures around, using different formats (ie 1, 2, 3+ pictures to a page) and changing the order of pages. You can add text on each page too if you want.

Once I’d ordered it, it only took a few days to arrive. So was I happy with the result? Yes, definitely. I’m sure my Grandparents will love it too. I’m going to do our honeymoon album next (we only got married 5 years ago!).

These photobooks from Photobox make great Christmas presents.

http://www.photobox.co.uk/shop/photo-books

p.s. I just wanted to say thanks to Elizabeth at Photobox for waiting so patiently for this to go up on my site!

I have just seen an article on Yahoo.co.uk, about the most likely type of person to fall for an ID fraud. You can read it here.

I pride myself in having never been caught out by email scams or “phishing” as it’s also called.

I always laugh when hoax emails go around with “you can win a case of Veuve Clicquot champagne if you refer 10 friends” or “get a free IPhone/Laptop or whatever”. I have kept well away from dodgy email from banks and Nigerians wanting money, or sick stories about little children supposedly orphaned in the Tsunami or that have been kidnapped. I usually go to Hoax-slayer.com to prove to whichever family/friend has forwarded them to me, that they are in fact a hoax.

That is until last week when I’m embarrassed to say I got caught out, hook, line and sinker.

Part 1

I got a call last week from my bank’s fraud team. There had been an unusual transaction attempt which they had stopped – some technical product in the USA. There were 3 other transactions also on the account which weren’t anything to do with me. After a spanish inquisition, they thankfully said I’d get my money back. It was puzzling how someone had got hold of my card details, especially as the transactions were on secure sites – which meant they had my verified by Visa password. But, as it was all sorted out in terms of getting the money back, I didn’t think much more about it.

Part 2

I also recently received an email from HMRC & Customs saying I’d had a tax refund. “Great”, I thought, ideas of what to spend it on flooded my brain – not that you can get much for £250! Without thinking, I filled out the form that was attached and pressed send, thinking about the winter coat I would go and buy. The form didn’t go through properly so I made a note to call HMRC to find out what the problem was (no alarms bell went off in my head)

Part 3

Then today, I reopened the email and the form and started filling it in again. Straight away I noticed a spelling mistake (not sure how missed it the first time), then it suddenly began to dawn on me. My clearly rusty cogs in my brain started whirring and my dormant brain cells slowly came to life. It wanted all my bank details including my Verified by Visa password which I had previously filled in unquestioningly. That is the kind of thing my Grandmother would do, not me.  It all clicked into place – this would explain the dodgy transactions that required a password! Where was my brain that day?

I immediately rang HMRC who confirmed what I already knew – it was a hoax. I was so cross with myself. I like to think I’m an intelligent person that wouldn’t be fooled by something so stupid. Just goes to show how easy it is to get caught out.

If you happen to get an email from the HMRC saying you’ve got a tax refund, don’t be fooled like I was. DELETE DELETE DELETE.

The article on Yahoo also give 10 ways to protect yourself against it.

Have you ever been caught out?

@AmphibianAvenger filmed this at the Aviaros del Caribe sloth sanctuary in Costa Rica – the world’s only sloth orphanage. Baby 2 and 3 toed sloths, whose mother’s have either been run over or zapped by power lines are brought to the sanctuary and looked after by legendary sloth whisperer Judy Arroyo.

THEY ARE TOO CUTE!!!

If you think your husband/boyfriend/partner needs a bit of inspiration next time they need to get you a gift (it’s Christmas coming hee hee hee), get them to get you a personalised necklace from Chambers and Beau. I’ve wanted one all year and finally got the Lola Mini necklace for my birthday from my lovely husband – my idea of course! It’s beautiful. The necklace has been personalised with the name of my daughter and my husband added a butterfly charm. He also chose Sim Sapphire semi-precious blue stone, my daughter’s birthstone.

Mini Necklaces start from £110.

It’s 49 days until Christmas (at the time of writing). But, don’t panic. We all know it can be one of the most stressful times of the year. We take on too much, go to parties, shop, cook lunch and catch up with friends. You can also feel torn between between families. Big rows with partners are not uncommon as the pressure mounts. It’s easy to feel like you are about to explode. Here are some top tips to keep your blood pressure normal!

1. Don’t take on too much.

Take the pressure off by being realistic what you can or can’t do.  Instead of organising Pre-Christmas Drinks, why not push them back to January, when it’s miserable and people need cheering up.

2. Don’t be afraid to say NO!

This is where I fall down again, and again, and again! If you receive endless invitations to pre-Christmas gatherings, kids’ Christmas parties etc., only say yes to one or two, to keep things manageable.

3. Delegate

You can’t do everything (unless you want end up in a frazzled heap). Divide chores between your family. Give jobs to your husband/partner e.g. let him organise the Christmas tree or send him out to do the food shopping, older kids can wrap presents. Get everyone helping with the Christmas lunch too.

4. Christmas Cards

Quite frankly, I writing Christmas Cards a huge chore. So instead, do an email to friends/family with a Christmas picture of your family attached. It’s quicker, you save money, and it’s way better for the environment. We give the money saved from buying cards/stamps to a charity. (I still do post a few Christmas cards to Grannies etc).

4. Get organised

It’s not rocket science. Many of us are guilty of leaving everything to the last minute. Write lists of what you need to do and buy, do things like present shopping in November, so you’re not panic-buying on Christmas Eve. Prepare as much of the Christmas lunch (if you’re the one cooking it) the day before.

5. Shop online

The internet can be a godsend if you’re a mum. Instead of having to trudge through the shops, child in tow, do your Christmas shopping online. It’s quick and you can do it in the comfort of your own home, when your kids are in bed. If you do go shopping, think of what you need to get and for whom, first. This will save you walking aimlessly around for hours.

6. Limit travel if you can

No one likes long car journeys. If you have to see both yours and your partners families (and hundreds of relatives), why not arrange to see one set a few weeks before/after Christmas.

7. Factor your children into the equation when making plans.

They won’t enjoy endless long car journeys or having to permanently be on their best behaviour when doing the rounds of Great-grandparents, Great Aunt Flo and long lost cousins.

8. Think of yourself.

It’s impossible to please everyone, although if you’re like me, then you’ll try very hard. It’s important that you enjoy Christmas too, so think of how you’d like to spend this Christmas. How about spending Christmas abroad one year?

10. Don’t panic

If you’re stressed and not enjoying yourself, your children will pick up on it. It may in turn make them feel tense and they could end up playing up, making things  whole lot worse! If you do feel yourself getting anxious, sit down, have a glass of wine, and take some deep breaths.

And remember, it really doesn’t have to be perfect!