April Book Review: The Reflections of Snow White - David Meredith

 

 

The story starts on the Eve Princess Raven's Wedding - Snow White's daughter - it's going to be a joyous occasion with the Princess marrying Prince Edel from the next Kingdom. Snow White has everything, a beautiful castle, a loving daughter - but there's one thing missing - her Prince Charming.

Whilst the castle is being set for the Wedding, Snow White ventures to a part of the castle she hasn't been to for a while. During this time she comes across the Enchanted Mirror.
The Mirror shows her that she's able to get through the grieving of losing Charming by revisiting her younger years and when she first met her Charming.
But can Snow White trust a mirror that once served her infamous evil Step Mother?


I was very kindly sent a copy of this book by the Author, David Meredith.
I'd describe the book as an adult fairytale and by that I mean it's a lot darker and more serious than the well known fairytale classic.
It's a book I enjoyed very much and would recommend to anyone who enjoys a fantasy romance novel.

You can purchase The Reflections of Snow White on Amazon

Maxine x 

March Book Review: The Teacher - Katerina Diamond

'A Lesson you'll never forget'

 

 

 

The summary of this book says 'Not for the faint hearted' and it definitely doesn't exaggerate.
It isn't your standard explicit, obscene graphic content, it goes a little further than that which is why it's a definite page turner.
The main story is the mystery killer who targets a headmaster of a school but at first it's thought to be suicide. It then comes to light sadistic acts had taken part in the past and someone wants revenge. People who were involved are targeted one by one and murdered in quite gory and painstaking ways.
We also get to know other characters who are involved, such as the detectives who are trying to track down the killer and also the 'victims' families.

The story skips between different characters involvements and also goes to the past to unravel the story of the acts which took place.

If I'm being honest it did take me a couple of chapters to get into the book and warm to the characters as they also have their own personal issues but as soon as I was hooked I couldn't stop reading.

 

The characters I felt kept the book interesting and compelling are the two disastrous put together detectives DS Miles and DS Grey. They could actually have their own book with their own life stories!

This is the first book from Katerina Diamond and I really enjoyed it.

You can buy your copy of The Teacher on Amazon in paperback and Kindle edition here.

 

If you have read this book, let me know what you thought.

Make sure to follow Katerina on Twitter - @TheVenomousPen

 

 

 

Maxine x 

 



The 90s Tag!

 

 

I was tagged by the lovely Danielle from Underland to Wonderland to feature a 90s Tag!
I love that I grew up in the 90s (I was born in 1989),it was such a brilliant decade to have a childhood. So many iconic things from the 90s - movies, clothes, music, games.

1. Favourite Disney Film?
Beauty and The Beast of course!

2. Favourite Music Artist?
Ah there were so many! I loved the boybands - Backstreet Boys / NSync / 911 and of course the best girl group ever - Spice Girls!

3. Favourite Game? (Board game / School game)
I loved playing Payday with my younger sister, we'd sit and play for hours.
School games...Hand clapping games or 'What time is it Mr Wolf?'

 

4. Favourite Sweets?
Where do I start?! Gobstoppers, Ring Pop, Chewits, Cola Cubes, Double Dip, Flumps, Flying Saucers, so many!

5. Favourite McDonald's Happy Meal Toy?
I can't actually remember any of them!

 

6. Favourite Book?
Harry Potter obviously but I love reading so there were so many!

7. Favourite Clothing Store?
Tammy Girl and MK One! (Memories of 90s fashion)

8. Favourite TV Show?
The 90s definitely had the best TV Shows! Kenan & Kel, Sabrina The Teenage Witch, Sister Sister, Fresh Prince of Bel Air, Moesha, Playdays, Zzzap!, Art Attack, Are You Afraid of The Dark? Hey Arnold, Rugrats....loadssss!

9. What Show Would You Watch After School?

See above! LOL


10. What Was Your Favourite 90s Game Show?

The Crystal Maze, Fort Boyard, Fun House!

11. Did You Own a Virtual Pet?
Tamagotchi :)

12. Favourite Video Game and System To Play On?
My first game console was SNES (Super Nintendo Entertainment System) so obviously Mario Brothers (Original!) but for the most of the 90s I had a PlayStation One and loved Crash Bandicoot and Driver.

13. Weirdest Fashion Trend?
The whole of the 90s was pretty much a weird fashion trend haha! but saying that it's all coming back into fashion now.

14. Favourite Toys?
Barbie's obviously! but 90s toys - Polly Pocket - I actually can't think of any others!

15. Favourite Nickelodeon Show?
I think I covered this on favourite tv show!






I tag my younger sister Ellie who's over at Ellie Kathleen.
plus anyone else who'd like to share their 90s memories!

I hope you've enjoyed this post, thank you Danielle for tagging me I really enjoyed reminiscing on the 90s!

Maxine x  



10 Lovely Touches For Your Office/Home Desk

Whether you have an office desk at a company you work for or work from home it's always nice to add those touches which don't keep reminding you that you are yet to win the lottery so you don't have to work at all and can just sit on a beach with a cocktail...maybe one day!
There are some really nice things you can buy for your desk and I have to admit I have a little obsession when it comes to browsing the web for stationary items. With the majority of people likely to read this being fellow bloggers who will more than likely have their own desk I wanted to share some of these with you :)

 

 

Paperchase Black Bird Metal Desk Box - £10 (currently on sale)
Wilko Glitter Gel Pens - £1.25 pack of 5
Radley A5 Notebook - £12

Pink Post It Notes - £6.09
Paperchase Rose Gold Paperclips - £2.50 pack of 200
Light Blue Pen/Pencil Holder - £2.50
Paperchase Rose Gold Stapler - £25
Paperchase Rose Gold Hole Punch - £29
Minnie Mouse Pencil Set - £4.95
Minnie Mouse Journal - £14.95

Let me know if you'll be purchasing any of these lovely items or which are your favourite.

Maxine x

Prices correct at time of posting. 



My Favourite Disney Vloggers

Whether you know me personally or follow me on Twitter or Instagram you will know my love for everything Disney.
I pretty much eat, sleep and breath Disney (other fanatics out there will understand)
My ultimate dream came true when myself and my Fiancé went to Disney World for two weeks May 2012 - way too long ago!
We loved it that much we're planning to go back next year for hopefully our Disneymoon (that is obviously a Honeymoon at Disney)

Whilst waiting for this to happen there's nothing I love more than watching Disney vlogs and seeing other people's happiness at 'The happiest place on Earth'.

As I've watched pretty much all of the following people's vlogs and actually built a friendship and spoken to most of them on social media - mainly Twitter - I knew I wanted to post their channels on my blog so everyone can share the happiness :-)


Please go check out their channels and subscribe :-)
Their channel names below are linked to their YouTube.

 

Get Binky
Hakz
Krispy Smore
Nadolny Nearly In Focus
Spoonful Of Sugar
That Sounds Fun
Tom and Sophie
Will and Lelly
Ellie Steadman
See Ya Reel Soon
Natalie and Jamie
Molly Buck
Disney at Heart
Lil Miss Chickas
The Disney Double Dose
The Tim Tracker
Happiest Vlogs on Earth

Ears 2 You

 

 



Make sure to also follow them on Twitter, you'll find their Twitter details in the 'About Me' page on their channels.

 

If there are any Disney vlog channels you are subscribed to which aren't featured above, let me know in the comments below as I'm always looking out for more channels to subscribe to!

 

 

See Ya Real Soon!

Maxine x 

 



February Book Review: Trust In Me - Sophie McKenzie

Julia has always been the friend that Livy turns to when life is difficult, they've always told each other everything....or so Livy thought.
But when Julia is found dead in her home, Livy cannot accept that her best friend chose to end her own life. Doubt sets in straight away and Livy sets out to prove that Julia was in fact murdered. Little does she realise that digging into her best friends private life will cause her to question everything she thought she knew about Julia and the truth that Livy discovers can tear her own life apart.

 

 

 

 

Trust In Me is the first book by Sophie McKenzie I have read and I loved it, I was totally absorbed and never wanted to stop reading every page was exciting and I always wanted to know what happened next. This genre of book is definitely my favourite, always leaving you guessing until you reach the end and this one was probably the most shocking twist. Sometimes you read books and maybe half way through you have guessed what's going to happen but I definitely didn't see what was coming with this one, every time I thought I had sussed it something else happened that I wasn't expecting!

I really enjoyed the characters and although you never really meet Julia because it starts with her being found in her home you feel her presence in the book which is really clever.

 

I'd definitely recommend this book to everyone, even if you're not a thriller/mystery novel reader I can guarantee you'd enjoy the suspense of every page.

 

I'll also be checking out Sophie McKenzie's other books, if they are anything like this than they are bound to be brilliant.

 

Have you read this book? I'd love to know what you thought.

Maybe you're going to purchase this book based on this review? Let me know!

 

 

You can purchase this book on Amazon or at other leading book stores.
It's also available to download to your kindle.

Check out Sophie McKenzie on Facebook (www.facebook.com/sophiemckenzieauthor) or follow her over on Twitter (@sophiemckenzie_ )

 

Maxine x 



Radisson Blu Edwardian New Providence Wharf

For Christmas I bought my Fiancé tickets to see David Haye at the O2 Arena in London. We hadn't been to the O2 before and so I wanted to make a weekend of it and book a hotel to stay the night.
I searched on the internet for hotels near the arena and came across Radisson Blu Edwardian which is just across the river from the O2 - perfect!
I actually booked through LateRooms.com as it was a lot cheaper, because of the location you can imagine it's in the higher price range.
After happily booking I wanted to look at a possible upgrade and maybe added extras to the room so I gave the hotel a call direct.
I spoke to the lovely Cleo who I informed the night was a Christmas present but it was also our 10th anniversary last month upon doing this Cleo confirmed they could add rose petals on the bed and a swan towel origami which I was really pleased about, I then asked about upgrades and after discussing options I upgraded to a river view room - I was not expecting the view we had!

When we arrived at the hotel we were really impressed with the location, I can imagine in the Summer sitting by the river with a cocktail is even better!.
The reception was lovely and the staff are all very friendly. What's even better is there is a sweet cart you can help yourself to!

After checking in very swiftly we made our way to our room, I was very excited to see what the upgrade had to offer and wasn't expecting to how amazing it was when I opened the door....

The view of the O2 arena from our window was amazing, we were both totally blown away. The rose petals and swan origami towels on the bed was a lovely touch and they had also put chocolate covered strawberries (definitely a winner with me) and a lovely card on the side for us.
They really made it feel that extra bit special.

The bathroom was also very impressive and with a great view, although if you do happen to stay here please remember it's not privacy glass if you do take a bath!
One thing I didn't do was take a photo of the shower which was one of those with the giant flat shower heads and was amazing!

The view of the O2 was even more breathtaking at night when it's all lit up and reflecting over the Thames.

We also had breakfast which was lovely, it was a buffet breakfast although if you wanted to you could fill out the breakfast card in your room to order room service for the morning.
Typically I didn't take photos (I was too excited to get tucked in) but I had pancakes with maple syrup, strawberries and bacon which was delicious. There was also full English breakfast, meats, cereals, A la carte menu to order things like eggs benedict, pancakes etc.

Overall I'd highly recommend anyone to stay here whether it be for an event at the O2 or a romantic getaway.
We will definitely be returning and I look forward to it already.

If you'd like to book a night you can check out their website here.

Maxine x

Don't forget to follow my blog on Bloglovin'

Valentine's Date Night

I have to admit I'm not the biggest fan of Valentine's Day as I don't think people should just use that day to tell each other they love them, it should be said all year round :)
But that said we do still get each other a card and go for a nice meal - any excuse to get dressed up!

I've browsed the net for hours looking for outfits which are somewhat related to Valentine's Day and below are my top picks.

 

 

1. Boohoo Mini Bodycon Lips Dress - £10

2. Pandora Heart Ring - £55

3. Ann Summers Pink/Black Teddy- £25

4. Boohoo Love Heart Earrings - £4

5. Boohoo Pink Glitter Heart Clasp Clutch bag - £14

6. Topshop Fluffy Sandals - £50

7. Boohoo Slinky Red Lace Night Dress - £10

8. Pandora Heart Charm - £25

9. Dorothy Perkins Pink Bardot Dress - £55

10. Charlotte Olympia Suede Heart Shoes - £445

 

 

 

 

Happy Valentine's Day

 

Maxine x 

January Book Review - Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell

Each month I'm going to do a book review, I absolutely love reading and getting lost in a book, falling in love with the characters and story.

This month I decided to choose a book genre that I don't usually read as I'm more of a Crime, Mystery, Murder Detective book fan.
So choosing Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell was totally out of my comfort zone when it comes to reading.

However, I'm so glad I did choose it as I loved it from the first page to the last.

Eleanor & Park is about two teenagers who meet on the school bus, Eleanor is the new (awkward) girl at school and Park is the slightly popular half korean boy.
It's a book which will remind you of those awkward times at school when you had your first crush and possible love. Both characters have a lot going on in their complicated family lives which brings them closer together.

What I loved the most about the book is how real it seemed, there were no far fetched romantic events, in fact the two characters are like chalk and cheese which makes them perfect for each other. What happens in both of their lives is something that has/will be happening in many peoples lives that you can actually relate to the characters and that's what made me fall in love with them even more.

With the book being set in the 80's there aren't any smartphones or laptops they communicate via landline, mix tapes and conversations face to face which is quite refreshing to read.

I'd recommend Eleanor & Park to everyone, even if like me you're not a fan of romance books and would prefer a good murder mystery, because you can relate to the characters and it's very realistic it makes it a book for pretty much everyone to read.
I'll definitely be checking out Rainbow Rowell's other books.

I'm looking forward to my next book review for February, make sure to follow me on Bloglovin' so you don't miss it and if there's a book you'd recommend I read and review please let me know :)

Maxine x 

January Fitness Diary - Week Four

So this is my final post of the 'My Fitness Plan' series. I'd recommend anyone doing this, whether it be on a blog or just in a diary. It gives you the chance to keep a track of what you're eating and see if there are any improvements you can make.

I'd also highly recommend downloading the 'Youfood' app, it's basically like Instagram but just for food. So it's great to also use that to keep track of meals and you can get some great recipe ideas from other people. It's clever in the way that because you're sharing your meals you want them to look good and not post anything unhealthy so it makes you want to eat better foods to show it off!

Monday 25th January

Breakfast - Porridge Oats with semi skimmed milk and a sliced banana

Lunch - Mediterranean flavoured tuna on wholemeal bread, Dairylea dunkers and a toffee flavoured muller light yogurt

Dinner - Chinese style rice with tandoori salmon

Snacks - Banana and 2 Satsumas
Water - 0 glasses of water but two cups of green tea with lemon


Tuesday 26th January

Breakfast - Porridge oats with semi skimmed milk and a sliced banana with almonds

Lunch - Spicy Mexican rice, Melon pieces, Banana and custard muller light yogurt and diarylea dunkers

Dinner - Chicken en croute with vegetables

Snacks - 2 Satsumas and a banana
Water - 2 cups of green tea with lemon

Exercise - surprisingly I did do a bit of a exercise and it was a 15 minute HIT workout.

Wednesday 27th January

Breakfast - Porridge with semi skimmed milk and blueberries

Lunch - Chicken rice, dairylea dunkers and crabsticks

Dinner - Spaghetti Bolognese

Snacks - Banana and 2 Satsumas
Water - 1 cup of green tea with lemon

Thursday 28th January

Breakfast - Two Weetabix with semi skimmed milk

Lunch - Mexican flavoured tuna on wholemeal bread

Dinner - Stuffed peppers with tempura bassa fish and pasta

Snacks - half a slice of pork pie, fruit pot

Friday 29th January

Breakfast - Two Weetabix with semi skimmed milk

Lunch - Mexican flavoured tuna on wholemeal bread

Dinner - Southern Fried Chicken and Chips

Snacks - Banana and 2 satsumas

Saturday 30th January

Breakfast - Vegetarian sausage sandwich with ketchup

Lunch - packet of mini cheddars (not the healthiest or best lunch!)

Dinner - Salmon with soy and ginger sauce and supernoodles

Snacks - no fruit today :(

Sunday 31st January

I'm so annoyed I forgot to take photos on this day and can't remember what I had :(


I think from doing this diary I've learnt that I definitely need to do more exercise, I'm thinking of joining back at the gym and do a few classes as I did enjoy it before.

Let me know if you have been keeping a fitness diary and how you're getting on.

Maxine x

Don't forget to follow me on Bloglovin'

Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water

I'm always wanting to try new products especially skincare. I have quite dry sensitive skin especially on my face so anything that's going to help I'm willing to give it a go.

I saw the Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water in Boots a few weeks ago and thought I'd give it a try but because my skin is quite sensitive I'm still weary of what I try to make sure I don't call any irritation.
With this being a cleansing water it doesn't have any chemicals or perfume so is perfect if like me you do have sensitive skin.

Before writing a review I always like to try a product for a couple of weeks to get a real feel of the product so I can give an honest opinion.

My first impression of the cleansing water was how light it feels when using it to remove make up and generally cleanse. You can actually feel the make up being removed and going onto the cotton pad. When finished my skin felt so soft and fresh I was really happy with it.

I've been using it morning and night and can tell a difference with my skin, it doesn't feel as dry anymore and that's something I'm really happy about as I can get quite embarrassed if I do have any dry patches.

It also removes eye make up and really well, even waterproof mascara! and because it's so easy to use, there's no excuse of not removing make up after a night out ;-)

I'd definitely recommend Garnier Cleansing Water, let me know in the comments if you do try it or if you already use it and love it as much as I do.

Maxine x
Don't forget to follow me on Twitter, Instagram and Bloglovin'

 

All opinions are my own. 

January Fitness Diary - Week Three

Week Three of My Fitness Plan and I'm slowly losing motivation already but it's really annoying me, I've been considering going back to the gym again and maybe starting to do classes in the morning before work. I did start a 10 minute HIT cardio programme which is fun but I feel like I need that extra push.

I'm really enjoying the 'Youfood' app, actually I'm becoming a bit addicted to browsing people's food diaries and looking for new recipe ideas! It's also clever because you really want to impress everyone with what you're eating so I haven't wanted to eat boring foods as I don't want to post a photo of that so I've been trying new things and making my food look yummy :-)


Monday 18th JanuaryI had the day off work so it's fair to say I didn't stick to any plan! In fact I pretty much ate anything in sight, as much as I'm embarrassed to admit.

Breakfast - Sausage sandwich with tomato sauce

Lunch - Not much of a lunch as I just snacked on everything!

Dinner - Pizza *Monkey covering eyes emoji*

Water - I am loving flavoured sparkling water at the moment and Morrison's do 5 bottles for £1.50 - bargain! So I had one bottle today.
Snacks - Everything!

Tuesday 19th January
Back on track!

Breakfast - Muller light strawberry yogurt with porridge oats and blueberries

Lunch - Mushroom rice with sweetcorn and peppers, Dairylea dunkers and a satsuma

Dinner - Two Slimming World sausages (from Iceland), veg and a Yorkshire pudding

Water - 1 bottle of flavoured sparkling water and 1 glass of water
Snacks - Banana, satsuma and grapes

Wednesday 20th January

Breakfast - Muller light Strawberry yogurt with porridge oats

Lunch - Cous Cous with sweetcorn, chickpeas, peppers, sultanas and seafood sticks

Dinner - Homemade lasagne with plum tomatoes

Water - 1 bottle of flavoured sparkling water
Snacks - 2 satsumas, banana and Dairylea dunkers


Thursday 21st January

Breakfast - Peanut butter on wholemeal bread

Lunch - Leftover homemade lasagne

Dinner - Italian chicken and tomato soup with a slice of wholemeal bread

Water - 2 glasses
Snacks - 2 satsumas, banana, grapes and a Muller corner banana chocolate flakes yogurt.

Friday 22nd January

Breakfast - Peanut butter on wholemeal bread

Lunch - Leftover Italian chicken and tomato soup

Dinner - Chicken burger with Supernoodles and extra light mayo

Water - 1 glass
Snacks - banana, satsuma. Carrot sticks with sweet chilli hummus.
2 glasses of wine (It's Friday!!)


Saturday 23rd January

Breakfast - Costa coffee - Caramel Cappuccino

Lunch - I won brunch and cocktails for 2 on Twitter at Revolucion De Cuba in Nottingham and it was amazing! I had a breakfast burrito which was stuffed with cheese, chorizo, jalapenos and mushrooms. The cocktails I chose was an Espresso Rumtini which was nice but couldn't have more than one, they're quite sickly.

Dinner - Italian Chicken and tomato soup with a portion of pasta.

Water - No water today just coffee and cocktails!
Snacks - still had my banana and satsuma :-)


Sunday 24th January

Breakfast - Sausage sandwich on wholemeal bread with tomato sauce

Lunch - I didn't have lunch, I was too busy being lazy on the settee watching American Idol :-)

Dinner - Coq Au Vin with Yorshire puddings

Snacks - scotch pancakes with maple syrup.


So that was my third week, typing this out is showing me that I'm already starting to slack, these diaries are a really good idea to keep yourself updated and show where you need to improve. Mine is that I need to do more exercising, especially if I want to reach my weight goal.

Thank you to all who are following my fitness plan.
If you'd like to see the photos of all my meals you can add me on Youfood, my username on there is MaxineFrancis89

Maxine x
Don't forget to follow me on Twitter, Instagram and Bloglovin'

 

Let's chat fitness - maxinesanders8922@gmail.com

January Fitness Diary - Week Two

So, week two of my fitness diary. I lost 4lb last week which I was very impressed with, considering the lack of exercise.
Before I go on and show my meals, exercise etc I will say I didn't have a great week and didn't do any exercise :-( I'm really struggling to get my motivation back, I think it might be the cold evenings (even though I do my exercise at home!) there's just nothing more I want to do when I get home from work in the evening than put my PJ's on and snuggle up on the settee. If there's anything you use to get your motivation going which you think might help, please let me know!

Something I did forget to mention in my previous post is Slendertoxtea that I'm using along side my plan, you can see my post here of Slendertoxtea.

I've also started to use an app on my phone called 'You Food'. It's very similar to Instagram but is used as a food diary. You can follow other uses and like their photos, it's good for giving you ideas if you're stuck on what to have for dinners etc. I'd recommend this app to keep track of what you're eating so you can see if there's any improvements you can make but also help others. 


Monday 11th January 2016
Breakfast - 2 Weetabix with semi skimmed milk

Lunch - small tin of beans with sausages (best sausages ever in those tins) and a slice of wholemeal bread

Dinner - Italian Chicken and Tomato Soup with Pasta

Water - 1 glass
Snacks - 2 satsumas and a banana, carrot sticks and humus.


Tuesday 12th January 2016

Breakfast - 2 Weetabix with semi skimmed milk

Lunch - Mushroom cous cous mixed with tuna flakes.

Dinner - Steak with a fried egg, mushrooms, corn on the cob, new potatoes and tomatoes (ah-mazing!!)

Water - 1 glass
Snacks - Satsuma, banana, dairylea dunkers (5.5 syns for the dunkers for anyone following Slimming World)

Wednesday 13th January 2016

Breakfast - Strawberry Mullerlight yogurt with porridge oats and blueberries

Lunch - Mushroom rice (Tilda microwave) with sweetcorn and peppers.

Dinner - Wholeweat noodles with soy & ginger salmon

Water - 3 glasses (good day!)
Snacks - Satsuma, banana, grapes and dairylea dunkers. 


Thursday 14th January 2016
I had such a bad day at work :-( I didn't have any lunch and only ate a banana and tub of grapes after my breakfast until 7pm when I finally got home.

Breakfast - Strawberry Mullerlight yogurt with porridge oats and blueberries.

Lunch - Nothing :(

Dinner - Corned Beef and Tomato sandwich (on white bread!! ahh!!)

Water - 2 glasses
Snacks - Banana and tub of grapes

Friday 15th January 2016
I was at a meeting in the morning and then I had the afternoon off work and the start to a long weekend :) So I was slightly naughty from today until Monday! 

Breakfast - 2 slices of wholemeal bread with peanut butter
My obsession with peanut butter is ridiculous!

Lunch - Costa Coffee with a mushroom toastie (Yum!)

Dinner - Southern Fried Chicken burger with Supernoodles (ah I feel guilty just typing that!)

Water - 0 glasses
Snacks - No fruit today! Flapjack from Costa, Rolo yogurt (the best yogurts ever!!)


Saturday we travelled down to London as we stayed over and went to the O2 so it definitely wasn't part of the fitness plan, a McDonald's may have been involved! ;-) and maybe a Starbucks too and a Chiquitos later :-D
Sunday we had buffet breakfast at the hotel which included pancakes with maple syrup ;-) and then we had a lovely Roast Dinner at the in-laws.


It's always good to remember that yes it's great for you to be healthy and make sure you're eating the right foods and correct portions but having a 'naughty' day every now and then isn't going to hurt anyone, you can't restrict yourself too much or you'll get to the point where it either becomes an obsession or you just start to hate dieting because it seems more of a chore.

This is one of the reasons I enjoy the Slimming World plan because you really don't feel like you're on a diet, there are no serious restrictions it's just all about meal planning and making sure you are eating the right amount of fruit and veg.

If you're doing a diet/fitness plan let me know how you're getting on!
maxinesanders8922@gmail.com
or tweet me @chatterboxmax

Maxine x



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Slendertox Tea | Detox and Cleansing Tea

Last month I took part in my first Bloggers Hangout chat and it was brilliant! I've always said one of the reasons I started blogging was to get to meet and chat to new people and I've already got to know so many lovely bloggers, can't wait for my first meet up!
Anyway, part of this chat were a few lovely brands and one of those brands was Slendertoxtea. I'd heard about Detox Tea's and always wanted to try them so when I received the Day and Night Tea Tox I was very excited!

Slendertoxtea are a health supplements company who provide natural healthy products to assist you in a healthy balanced lifestyle. Their Slendertoxtea is 100% herbal and organic.  

I'm already a fan of green tea and fruity teas so I had a slight idea of what they may taste like, they have quite an 'earthy' taste to them which is obviously the natural ingredients and flavours very much like green tea.

The Daytox Tea is designed to give you that extra boost for the day so you have this first thing in the morning with your breakfast.
Where as the Sleeptox Tea is to help you relax by bedtime and also assist to prevent bloating.
I can suffer from bloating like a lot of people and after using this for a few days I have started to notice a difference which I'm delighted about, as for those who do suffer from bloating know it can be quite embarrassing and something we obviously don't want!

I still have a week left of the tea's to finish the course but I am confident to say I would purchase another set of Daytox and Sleeptox.
It's something I'd like to continue using as part of my fitness plan.
 
Although the tea's are designed to help your system and promote healthy change it is suggested to use them with a detox plan or with your fitness/diet plan to really get the full benefits.

Slendertoxtea also provide a range of shakes, coffee's and powders. I'd like to try the coffee range as I do love a cup of coffee in the morning!

My overall opinion is that I'd recommend anyone to try the Slendertoxtea and give it a go to see if it can assist you with your fitness or healthy eating plan.

To purchase any of the Slendertoxtea range visit the website here.
They ship worldwide so everyone can order :-)

You can also follow Slendertoxtea on Twitter to keep up to date with their products - @Slendertoxtea

Let me know in the comments below if you do purchase anything from the Slendertoxtea range.

Maxine x
All opinions are my own and I always give an honest review of products.
Slendertoxtea very kindly gifted me the product.

 

Don't forget to keep up to date with all my posts over on Bloglovin'
 

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Adult Therapeutic Colouring Books - Do They Really Work?

 

There was nothing more I loved when I was younger than getting a jumbo colouring book and new colouring pencils. I could spend hours colouring in all of the pictures and always felt accomplished when completing the whole book!

So when I saw these 'Adult Therapeutic Colouring Books' I was quite excited but also intrigued. Are they going to just be another 'trend' where everyone buys them because they're everywhere or do they actually help you to relax? Because obviously when you're a child and using colouring books you're not using them to relax it was just fun. 

I was given one of the colouring books to me as a gift which I was really pleased about as I had thought about purchasing one a few times, I ordered some new colouring pencils (cue the big kid) and was quite excited when they arrived! So I sat with a cup of tea, feet up on the settee in my pyjamas and chose a design to colour. I have a Winter Wonderland themed book and the pictures are beautiful.
I chose one of the more intricate designs and away I went, carefully selecting which colour I wanted to use for each part, concentrating so I don't go out the lines(!)
Now at this point you may be thinking, but it's just a colouring book?! It's for children!
But...I was so relaxed and felt chilled out which is amazing considering it is seen as something you'd just do as a child. 
I'd highly recommend anyone getting one of these and just spending half an hour where ever you can with a cup of tea or coffee on the settee or in bed! It really does make you feel more relaxed.

You can buy loads of different themes of colouring books, I have my eye on the Harry Potter one! Amazon is a great place to check out.

Keep an eye on my Instagram where I'll be posting a picture of my 'master piece' once I've finished it.

Let me know if you have one of these books or will be purchasing one.

Maxine x

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January Fitness Diary - Week One

Following on from my previous post I'm going to be doing a weekly fitness diary throughout January (depending how it goes I might carry it on throughout February until I reach my goal, but let's not get too ahead of ourselves!)
As mentioned in my Fitness Plan post I am following the Slimming World programme and also the Insanity Workout to help me reach my fitness goals. 

In the diaries I'll be showing you what I've eaten throughout the day and also what exercise if any I have done. I hope by doing this I can help inspire you to join in and kick start the motivation! 

Monday 4th January 2016
Now Mondays can be a bit wobbly as it's food shopping day so it might be that we haven't got much 'healthy' food in the cupboards and also this was day one of the plan and the first shopping trip after Christmas which meant all we had was pretty much chocolate and rubbish! 
But I didn't do too bad....considering.

Breakfast - a bowl of golden nuggets cereal with semi skimmed milk

Lunch - Cheese and tomato sandwich with a banana (not too bad)

Dinner - King Prawn stir fry with basmati rice

Water - 1 glass
Snacks - 2 Satsumas
Exercise - None :-( 


Tuesday 5th January 2016

Breakfast - Strawberry Muller light yogurt with porridge oats and blueberries

Lunch - Mexican rice with tuna and crab sticks

Dinner - Ham and Mushroom Omelette

Water - 1 glass (need to improve on this) 
Snacks - Banana and 2 Satsumas
Exercise - Cardio Circuit Insanity Workout


Wednesday 6th January 2016

Breakfast - Same as Tuesday

Lunch - Mushroom rice with sweet corn and peppers

Dinner - Italian Chicken and Tomato soup Slimming World recipe (you can find it here)

Water - 2 glasses (getting better!)
Snacks - Same as Tuesday plus carrot sticks and sweet chilli homous from Morrison's) 
Exercise - None because I pulled every muscle in my body including those I didn't know existed from yesterday! 

Thursday 7th January 2016

Breakfast - Same and Tuesday and Wednesday (I get into a routine) 

Lunch - Leftover Italian Chicken and Tomato soup (always make extra!) with 2 slices of whole meal bread. 

Dinner - Breaded Chicken with chow mein flavour Super Noodles. 
Not the healthiest option but had a rubbish and long day at work! 

Water - 1 glass (slacking again)
Snacks - Same as Wednesday
Exercise - Still injured = none! 

Friday 8th January 2016

Breakfast - 2 Weetabix with semi skimmed milk

Lunch - King prawn, basil and Tomato pasta salad from M&S - best pasta salad ever! 

Dinner - BBQ shredded duck with noodles 

Water - 2 glasses (back on it)
Snacks - Same as above
Exercise - it's Friday!!  


Saturday 9th January 2016

Breakfast - Porridge with Honey (from Costa!)

Lunch - Italian Chicken and tomato soup (Made another batch!)

Dinner - Thai Food - Egg Noodles. Very similar to a Chow Mein but not greasy, it's cooked with fish oil so a lot healthier.

Water - None (oops)
Snacks - Banana, Grapes
Exercise - None

Also had a few diet cokes with vodka with the meal.


Sunday 10th January 2016

Breakfast - Weetabix with semi skimmed milk

Lunch - More Italian Chicken and tomato soup (I'm afraid I may turn into an Italian chicken soon! haha)

Dinner - Now it's a lazy Sunday as always and we were suppose to have steak but ended up just having Nacho's (Face covering monkey emoji)

Water - One Glass
Snacks - Didn't really have snacks today
Exercise - None


You may notice my food can be a bit repetitive but I'm one of those people who end up in a routine and find it a little easier just have the same type of meals - I'm not very creative when it comes to cooking!
Making these food diaries is also great for me to look at and see what I can improve, at the moment I definitely need to get my arse in to gear, do more exercise and drink more water.
If your diet is something you think needs looking at it's definitely worth keeping a food diary so you can see where to improve and maybe change a few things.

 

Maxine x 

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My Fitness Plan

It's fair to say the most common thing people think about when entering a New Year is Fitness. There's always the thought of wanting to lose weight ready for that bikini on the beach or just improving your fitness in general.

Losing weight is all down to what you're eating and exercise. There are so many things out there to help you along your journey from exercise DVD's to waist trainers (I'd love to try one of these!). Different plans suit different people, what others find really helpful some people may find they don't work for them so you really need to make it about yourself and not just follow something because it's trend or your mates are doing it, you could be wasting your time and money.

I'm definitely one of those people who wants to lose weight and improve my fitness and I'm also one of those people who say this every January! I do enjoy setting goals for myself and working to achieve them so I'm actually looking forward to this fitness journey.

I thought I'd share the tools I'm going to be using for my fitness plan especially for those who are maybe new at this and not sure where to start, also if there are any questions you'd like to ask about any of the tools I'm using I'll leave details below of where you can contact me and I'd love to help if I can!

So as I mentioned above one of the main things to losing weight/improving fitness is what you're eating and not eating will not work! Actually if you eat the right foods, the more you eat the more weight you'll lose (I know!!)
To do this I follow the Slimming World plan and personally I find it amazing. Again this is one of those things where it may not suit everyone so it's a trial and error thing, if you haven't followed a diet plan like this it may be best if you try a few out like Weight Watchers and find out which you prefer.
Just a quick overview of Slimming World, they work on 'Syns'. You can have 5-15 syns daily but not everything has Syns, for example Fruit, Vegetables, Meat, Fish are all free so you can eat them until your hearts content but a chocolate bar could be anywhere from 6-9 syns!
If you're interested in Slimming World visit their website, there are loads of tips and also recipes.



Second main thing to lose weight/improving fitness is exercise, this is the part where a lot of people, including myself, need that motivation! So this is the best part to set a goal for yourself, maybe join a gym, go to a few classes a week, start going swimming, join a running club, join a dance class...there are endless things to do and it can be really fun...honest!
Now obviously I haven't done a lot of exercise so far as I've just started my plan but I am back on the Insanity workout, you may of heard of this or seen it advertise, it is literally insane!
When I see these exercise DVD's advertise and those really enthusiastic people appear ripped abs, flat stomachs, toned arms and they want you to join them...I think ok I really don't think you are looking like that because of this DVD...however that was before I started Insanity (I'm starting to sound like one those people!) I can't recommend Insanity enough, it's so worth the money and if you follow the calendar plan that comes with it you will notice the difference in 60 days! It's definitely the most effective at-home exercise regime I've done (and trust me when I say I have done so many of the exercise DVD's!)
I'm also hoping to get back into running but at the moment I'm still in hibernation and I'm definitely not one of those people who go out in the cold and dark to run!

Just a few other things I'd recommend;

Pinterest - brilliant for workout ideas and recipes etc
Instagram - #slimmingworld is great as people post their meals and progress, you can also join in and help others gain motivation
Twitter - search for the fitness pages even if it's those who post motivational quotes, it all helps.
Slendertoxtea - I've recently been sent this and will be using with my fitness plan, I've always wanted to try the detoxes so I'm looking forward to seeing how it works, there'll be a separate post for this :)

So there you have it, my fitness plan. I hope this inspires you enough to get your motivation started and maybe join in with any of the above.
I'll be posting weekly updates through January (every Sunday) with my food diary and what exercises I have done that week so make sure you follow me on Bloglovin and Twitter!

If you'd like to be crazy like me and start Insanity you can purchase it here.

Let's chat fitness! Let me know your goals and keep me updated on your journey.
Email - maxinesanders8922@gmail.com
Twitter - @Chatterboxmax

Maxine x
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All opinions are my own.