The Odd Life of Timothy Green – Film Review

Thanks to the lovely people at BritMums, I heard about the viewing of Disney‘s new film, “The Odd Life of Timothy Green“, which hits screens Nationwide on April 5th, and decided to take Aiden along for a bit of Sunday morning mummy/son bonding time.

This film is directed by Peter Hedges, the man behind “About a Boy” and “What’s Eating Gilbert Grape” and is also starring Jennifer Garner (love her!) and so I had high hopes!

Without giving too much away, this story is based around Jim and Cindy Green, who at the beginning of the film are seen receiving bad news from a fertility doctor. As a way of dealing with their devastation and heartbreak, they write out a list of traits and achievements their child, if they were to have one, would have. They then bury this box in the garden. After a freak storm during the night, the Green’s wake up to discover a young boy, Timothy, in their house. He is covered head to toe in mud, has leaves growing from his ankles and is calling Cindy and Jim, Mum and Dad. The film then plays out showing the trials and tribulations of parenthood, and how Timothy teaches them more about life and love than they could ever have imagined.

Out nationwide April 5th

Whilst watching this film, the main thing that stood out to me was how beautifully the film had been shot. The colours, the scene set up, the wide shots of the landscapes were all beautifully captured, and maybe slightly distracting from the actual story going on it the film.

The main theme in this film is based on adoption and the Green’s fight to become parents. It is, if I’m honest, a slightly odd film. I found it very oddly paced and felt there was no real depth to the characters. Aiden (who’s 5) was laughing out loud at parts but became really unsettled and, dare I say, bored, about 45 minutes in.

It is a very sweet film, with a lovely message. However, I felt it was missing that typical Disney fantasy and wonder element, that gets kids hooked. This is made even stranger by the fact the story is about a boy who has leaves growing out of his ankles!

There was just no magic.

For a feel good, quirky, simple family film on a Sunday afternoon, I would say go ahead and enjoy. But don’t pay to watch it in the cinema. Wait until it’s on television. Sorry!

p.s i did still cry and the ending… I’m clearly a complete emotional sap!

You can watch the trailer here:

http://youtu.be/mMSkbH0LuTc

The Southside Girl xx

Happy 5th Birthday Aiden!

Today was good. Today was fun. Tomorrow is another one.

– Dr Seuss

Well, yesterday was my little boy Aiden’s 5th Birthday.

Five. That’s 1826 days; 43,824 hours; 2,629,440 minutes…you get the jist.

In my eyes, he’s still my baby. I know it’s an old cliché, but it really does feel like yesterday that this tiny gorgeous baby boy, with a mass of black hair, was placed in my arms and my whole world changed in an instant.

Aiden James

I knew in that moment. I knew it as soon as i looked at his amazing little face for the first time. I knew it when I cuddled him so close that i could feel his heart beat against my chest. I knew it from the first moment he opened his eyes and looked directly at me, as if he knew exactly what I was thinking and feeling.

I knew.

I was always meant to be a mum. It might not have been the perfect time, or the perfect situation. But it was perfect for me. He was, and of course still is, absolutely perfect, in every single way. He changed my life wholly and completely.

Five years on, he amazes me daily. He is incredibly clever. He loves books and loves to learn. He loves football and dancing and One Direction. He is, of course, just bloody amazing in every single way! (apart from when he’s moaning/ whingeing/ fighting/ arguing/ wrestling his brother etc… I’m not such a big fan of him in those situations)

So, having got all that soppiness out of my system (as always, i am an emotional wreck!) I thought I’d share some pictures of Aiden’s 5th birthday party. We just had a wee “tea” in the house, with Aiden’s friends and family. It was a brilliant day, i think the best birthday yet!

Here’s to many more happy birthdays, more laughter, more fun and more pass the parcel! Happy Birthday Aiden! 🙂

Aiden and Logan on their way to Aiden’s nursery party

Presnt time!

Birthday Boy

The boys 🙂

Dancing Queen

Cake time!

The Southside Girl x

Snow Fun

This time last year, we were in the middle of a heat wave and I remember spending Aiden’s birthday (29th March) down at the beach in Troon. This year? Well, here’s a wee picture from the weekend.

Hope everyone stays safe and enjoys the snow! 🙂 Although I am, more than ever, counting down until the maxi dresses can get an airing….. think it might be a lost cause right enough!

 

The Southside Girl x

Mummy problems… how to get your monsters to eat more fruit and vegetables!

“The  only way to keep your health is to eat what you don’t want, drink what you don’t  like, and do what you’d rather not”
Mark  Twain

Like most mums/dads i used to harp on about what amazing eaters my children were, how they loved to try new things and cleared their plates every dinner time. Well, clearly, i majorly jinxed myself there.

Aiden, my eldest, used to be a fantastic eater whether it be fish, any kind of meat, all fruits and vegetables, and he rarely complained. Logan, on the other hand, has always been a big eater but has tended to side in the way of potatoes and bananas but steered clear of pretty much everything else.

Fast forward a couple of years and the boys refuse to eat anything other than cheese sandwiches, chicken nuggets, bowls of cereal and yoghurts.

It drives me insane.

Recently, i have been desperate to get them to eat more fruit and vegetables, particularly with Aiden starting school in August and so, for my birthday i asked for a smoothie maker.

The plan was to get the boys to pick all the fruit they wanted from the shops, let them help me cut it up and then let them make the smoothies themselves – with the thought that they would be more likely to taste it if they’ve seen what is in it and done all the work.

My new blender/smoothie maker

The smoothie maker itself is fantastic! It is a Hinari MB280 Genie Multi Attachment Blender. It is easy to use (i’m a slight dunce when it comes to working new appliances) and comes with lots of different attachments and storage containers. The uses for this blender are endless and after several “shots” i can tell that it is going to become a staple in my kitchen.

The boys also found it very easy to use (obviously with adult supervision) because of the compact size of it, which also makes it the perfect worktop appliance. I found it on sale at Asda direct at the moment if anyone is wanting a look 🙂

So, the boys and I traipsed off to Lidl to get our fruit. I know sometimes Lidl can be a bit hit and miss when it comes to their fruit and vegetables but knowing we were going to be using it all up on the same day and the fact the prices were fantastic it really was a no brainer.

Our fruit haul

YUM! As soon as we were home the boys were desperate to start their “cooking” and so aprons on and stools into the kitchen, and within 10 minutes there were banana peels and half eaten grapes all over the kitchen. It was brilliant! Logan, as usual, spent most of his time when he was supposed to be cutting the fruit actually eating it, much to the dismay of his brother who was, in fact, raging…. haha.

The finished result

We finally decided on strawberry, banana, raspberry, apple and grape smoothie (top right) and a mango, pineapple, banana and kiwi smoothie (bottom left) and I have to say they were absolutely delicious! Which of course i made sure the boys knew in an attempt to coax them into attempting some more cooking 😉

So, did the boys drink the smoothies after all that work? Well, yes and no. Typical.

Logan had eaten his weight in fruit whilst chopping and said his “tummy was sick of fruit for the day but i’ll drink mine tomorrow” whereas Aiden drank his in record time before declaring himself master of the smoothie universe.

All in a day’s work…

Mission complete. Now, how to sneak carrots in next time…….

The Southside Girl x

L’oreal Colour Riche Nail – Review

“I am different when my nails are done.  I am more dynamic.  I gesticulate more, I am better at scaring my staff.  I can indicate impatience by drumming on tabletops and I can wrap up a meeting with a few choice clatters.” 
―    Marian Keyes

As it was my birthday on Saturday, I became the happy owner of several new products (thanks hubby!) Now, I have never really been an avid fan of nail varnishes or really clued up on what’s hot and what’s not – mainly because i rarely have time to pee never mind paint my nails and wait for them to dry. But recently, I made a conscious decision to attempt to have, and enjoy, some “me time” and let me tell you, it’s bloody amazing!

204 – Boudoir Rose

In amongst my bag of goodies was a L’oreal Colour Riche Nail in the colour 204 – Boudoir Rose. I’m loving really pinky and beige nudes on nails at the moment, and this colour is just beautiful.

The Colour Riche Nail is L’Oreal‘s first long lasting mini nail collection which boasts 41 gel-based colours. It also includes the “Liquigel technology” which offers lasting shine and an even coverage on the nails.

On first seeing the packaging, it did slightly remind me of the free nail varnishes that used to be given out in the old “teeny bopper” magazines, but i think this is mainly because of the size of it.

This nail varnish is the most easy-to-apply varnish that I have ever used! This is completely down to the “patented brush technology”. The paddle brush shape is very precise, holds formula well and covers the nail in only a couple of strokes. One thing i did notice is that the formula seemed to become quite stringy and drag on the nail if there wasn’t enough formula on the brush but this is easily rectified and I don’t see it as an overall problem.

204 – Boudoir Rose

The varnish dries with an absolutely gorgeous sheen and gloss and wears really well. After spending the day running after my two boys, my nails still managed to look amazing and chip free.

The colours available in this range are fantastic and there really is something for everyone. Would definitely recommend to anyone looking out for something new for their nails!

Currently available on 3 for 2 in Boots and priced at £4.99 each.

http://www.boots.com/en/LOreal-Color-Riche-Nails_1247462/

Colours available:

 Parisian Crystal         Opera Ballerina       Macaron Noisette

 Beige Countess          Versailles Gold         Beige Boheme

 Cafe St Germain        Rose Paradise           Marie Antoinette

 Boudoir Rose             Baby Doll                   So Chic Pink

 Ingenious Rose          Shocking Pink          Lush Tangerine

 Spicy Orange              Dating Coral             Rouge CanCan

 Femme Fatal              Scarlet Vamp            Hypnotic Red

 Addictive Plum          Insolent Magenta    Perle de Jade

 Parisian Rooftop       Divine Indigo           Rebel Blue

 Sky Fits Heaven        Blue Reef                   Black Swan

 Mysterious Icon       Mythic Carpet           Magic Croissete

 Sassy Pink

The Southside Girl x

The beginnings of The Southside Girl….

“To write something, you have to risk making a fool of yourself.”
–Anne Rice

I have been sitting staring (okay glaring) at this empty word document for near enough a week now and have come to realise several things;

• My head really is full of complete and utter rubbish.
• No pixies, fairies or elves will come out and write this for me.
• I worry too much about what other people think.
• Cheese sauce made in a blender really isn’t that nice (this has nothing to do with the blog, more just a general note)

So, I have decided that the best place to start is, of course, with introductions.

I’m a (newly) 26 year old, married mummy of two little boys, Aiden who is nearly 5 and Logan who is 3. We live in your classic two up, two down in the southside of Glasgow. My husband works long, looooong hours and so I am on my own with my boys for the majority of the time, which i love, but which also drives me insane on a daily basis (think talking-to-yourself, knowing all the words of every cartoon, constantly breaking up fights insane!)

Six years ago, i was a typical university-going, funky dancing social butterfly with 18 months of an English degree under my belt. Now, i am attempting to find my way in the world, to do something i love and to make my gorgeous little family proud of me.

There are 6 things in this world that make me the happiest; my beautiful children, my incredible husband, food, books, make up and my ridiculous chats with my amazing best friend. My intentions with this blog? To share all of the things that make me happy, with all of you. I want this blog to be a mixture of things to do both at home and in the local area with your children, book and beauty reviews to enjoy in your “mummy time”, ideas for “date night” (which i’m hoping will mean i actually have one once in a while) my daily ramblings and moanings  (mainly about my husband;) ) along with more serious features including coping with PND and miscarriage.

If you’re after a wee natter, all of my getting in touch information is on my contacts page 🙂

Oh, and here’s a few wee pics of us, for you. I know, we’re a handsome bunch 😉

On our wedding day 🙂

The three men in my life

Aiden and Mummy

My boys ❤

So get a cuppa and pull up a pew…Let the games begin.

The Southside Girl x