Don't be a bully!

Everyone knows I'm all about positivity so it makes me sad that I've seen so much nastiness recently. Is there really any need for it? Of course it's unrealistic expecting the world to be full of rainbows and unicorns and equally nice things all the time, but surely people don't have to be horrible for no reason?

Bullying is a very strong word but I have seen so much of it. Whether people realise it or not, that's what it is. Social media is a brilliant thing, yet it is also a place where some people feel that they can say whatever they like no matter how hurtful it is.

Look at all the celebrities or people in the public eye who receive hate messages on a daily basis. Keyboard warriors are disgusting yet they do it constantly. The YouTuber Em Ford, whose channel is My Pale Skin Blog, made a powerful video called You Look Disgusting  which has been viewed millions of times. It's about the vile comments she receives and the impact it has. It shouldn't happen but it does.

What is also horrible is people we actually know who do it too. It may be indirect and without naming names but it still equates to the same thing. It falls under the same umbrella. A few seconds of typing and pressing 'send' means your words are there for all to see. Be it blatant nastiness, sly digs or pretend sarcasm, it is the same thing.

Whatever happened to "if you can't say anything nice then don't say anything at all"?!

Think before you speak. Throw kindness around like confetti.

If you see hate, don't encourage it. There's enough rubbish happening in the world already.

I have very strong feelings towards bullying for a few personal reasons and I believe it shouldn't be tolerated. It affects people and not just at the time it happens, yet it goes on all the time.

If you need some inspiration of how to be more kind, have a read of my previous post  which is what it should all be about!

Be a lover not a hater :-)

Ali
xx

Say yes more!! Inspired by Danny Wallace

I started most of this post a week or so back and between then and now it's been a pretty horrendous week. The mass killings in Orlando and then the horrific murder of Jo Cox 2 days ago in the town where I used to live. It's made a lot of people question what the world is coming to and a general feeling of sadness has been apparent everywhere. I am however determined to keep smiling and try and focus on the stuff I've written about below.

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During my fundraising (see previous post) someone asked me if I had ever read any of Danny Wallace's books. I hadn't but I was intrigued. I bought the ones I had been recommended, Yes Man and Random Acts of Kindness.

I haven't read a book properly in ages but as soon as I started reading Yes Man I couldn't put it down. I have also been trying to establish a bit of a better night time routine to try and help with my sleep. Not watching stuff before bed is one of the things I need to stop, so I thought some reading might help relax me.

I don't want to spoil it for anyone who hasn't read it and may want to, but the general message from the book is to say yes more. Say yes to opportunities. Say yes to having fun. Say yes to living life. Say yes to being positive! Obviously having chronic illness, saying yes is very difficult in a lot of situations but I am all for positivity and this book certainly gives you a kick up the backside!! Danny is a comedian and I laughed a lot whilst reading which is also good. Laughter is the best medicine isn't it...

I have now started reading Random Acts of Kindness which is basically a long list of things you could do to spread happiness to other people. 365 ways to make the world a nicer place. Some of the suggestions make me laugh but if everyone did at least one nice thing for someone else, can you imagine how much happier the world would be?

One of the suggestions was to write a note in a book which you are returning to the library. I have actually done that before in a book I read which was really inspiring (One Million Lovely Letters by Jodi Ann Bickley) and I love the thought of the next person reading it and smiling. I wrote something like "never forget you are amazing". I also did the same thing  in the same book I sent my friend and she cried when she found it!

The book is rather old and the idea of 'rewinding a video tape before returning it to the video shop' clearly shows how old!! Nice gesture though all the same.

The one that says 'if someone cuts you up in traffic, instead of flicking them a finger, smile at them and wave at them like a lunatic' did make me laugh.

There are loads of simple things you could do which would make a real difference to someone's day. I love random acts of kindness so much and am always sending little things to people. Try it, it makes you feel good and you make someone smile. What's not to like about that??!

I also think people don't smile enough at other people so why not try smiling at the next person who you walk past? Seeing someone smile back at you is lovely.

Or do something like buy a friend a cupcake. Send someone a card in the post. Offer to buy someone a cup of coffee! So many simple things that are actually big things when you see how much they make people feel good.

In a world where there is so much nastiness (& this week has proven just that) people really should try to make it a nicer place. Even if you can't do something for someone then just be kind. Kindness costs nothing. I've seen some really nasty behaviour too recently. Totally unnecessary and just really pathetic. Perhaps acting like that makes people feel good but I would rather feel good for doing nice things!

Let me know in the comments if you've ever done any random acts of kindness or whether you plan on doing!

Lots of sparkle


Ali 
xx

ME Awareness 2016 and fundraiser success!

It's quite a while since I've written a blog post as it was my birthday then my fundraiser so it's all been a bit manic.

I want to talk about M.E Awareness day and how proud I am of myself and Team Princess for what we achieved.

M.E Awareness day/week/month is always emotional. It's exhausting when you try to do your bit to raise awareness of this truly awful condition but when you decide to fundraise too (crazy some may say!) you know you are going to be as pooped as a pooped thing for a good while after.

Considering it was my birthday 3 days before Awareness day - the day Team Princess was doing our thing - I was already slightly wiped out before we'd even started! However, it is obviously something very important to me. I had written a status to warn people I would be posting lots on the day but to be honest if they didn't like it then tough! People who know me and know what my life is like support me (or so you would think!) so that was my thinking. Plus I would be raising as much money and awareness as I could. How can that ever be a bad thing?

The charity I chose to support is such a fantastic one so I wanted to push it as much as possible. Smile for ME, if you haven't read my previous post, send parcels of gifts to M.E sufferers and carers who have been nominated by friends or family. It is run by 2 girls who are both M.E sufferers and they rely on donations. Random acts of Kindness are a big part of my life and I love sending stuff to people, so I wanted to raise as much as I could for them to enable them to send lots of Smile parcels.

Before the event had even started I'd somehow managed to raise a big chunk of money and I very kindly received a large donation on my birthday which took me to my £300 target. It gave me a massive boost but then I panicked I wouldn't raise much more!!

My first post of the day was very personal and stated my reasons for joining Team Princess. I will share a copy of it below for you to read.  I had a lot of comments and likes, which to me was as important as raising money as it meant people had (hopefully) read what I had written.

I posted various pictures throughout the day across my social media and I couldn't keep up with the notifications of donations at one point. I was a bit overwhelmed and every single pound donated, as well as every comment or message, meant so much to me. As always, there was a bit of disappointment from some but on the whole I was blown away with people's generosity and kindness.

When my little girl came home from school she got dressed as a Princess too and we had some photos together. She loved it!

I was absolutely exhausted by evening but I was buzzing too so took a while to be able to wind down.

I also ran an auction the following weekend with prizes that had been donated by some of my favourite independent businesses. That went really well too. I really am grateful for everyone's support.

The total raised was £879.88 including gift aid. Amazing! I received some messages from Smile for ME which made my heart so happy. Knowing how much the money was going to make a real difference made me feel so fuzzy and it's the reason I pushed so much for donations. Every single person who donated I want you to know that you really have made a difference. You have helped towards putting a huge smile on a very deserving person's face. I appreciate it so much.

Team Princess managed to raise £3436.95 for various M.E charities so I couldn't be prouder. I'd like to also thank our Queenie Sian for organising everything so well and for all the support. We couldn't do it without her!

I can't stress enough what a brilliant thing it is that Smile for ME do. M.E is very isolating so receiving a parcel literally does make a huge difference to people's lives. If you wanted to make a donation to them, you can do here here.

Thank you to everyone who is there for me, who continue to support me and for all your kindness with my fundraiser. If I could give you all a big sparkly hug I would do!

Ali 
xx

Auction for my fundraiser for Smile for ME

As you will know if you read my blog, I'm fundraising for the charity Smile for ME and here is my previous post with all the details.

I decided I wanted to also hold a little auction to try and raise some extra money for them, so I contacted some of my favourite businesses and I have very kindly had some brilliant prizes donated.

I will be holding the auction on my Facebook page which will start at 9am on Saturday 14th May and will end at 9pm on Sunday 15th May 2016. Bids will be accepted at any time between those hours. I will contact the winner once the auction has ended and will arrange delivery of the items as some I am sending myself but others will be sent direct from the businesses. I will post Terms & Conditions at the bottom of this post.

The following is a description of the items with a link to the lovely places who have donated them. 

1) Sausage dog print scarf from Lisa Angel.

A large ladies' lightweight fashion scarf with a repeated dachshund dog design. It is black & white print over a salmon pink background and made from 100% polyester.

2) Acrylic pins and necklace from Punkypins

You are Magical, Be Yourself and Feminist acrylic pins plus red Where Fourheart Thou necklace.

3) Voucher from Crown and Glory

This is a very special voucher as whatever the winning bid, Crown and Glory will double up on the value of it. So for example, if the winning bid is £50 the prize will be a £100 voucher! There is a whole load of stuff to choose from on the website so have a browse and I'm sure you'll see lots you like. Crown and Glory will send the voucher to the winning bidder. I have selected a few pictures from their website as examples of some of what you can buy from them.

4) Unicorn Magnet from AnnieANDBlanche

A handmade rainbow felt unicorn magnet lovingly made especially for the auction, complete with sparkly unicorn horn. It has been made using soft wool felt and embroidery thread.

5) Personalised mug from Jilly Jilly

A ceramic mug from the new Mix and Match collection which has just been launched. The winner can choose which design and name to be on the mug. You can see some of the other options here. Jilly Jilly will be sending the mug direct to the winning bidder (their packaging is beautiful!).

I have my own mug from the new range and it's really gorgeous.

6) Box of goodies from Lucky Dip Club.
Some of you may know I subscribe to Lucky Dip Club which is a monthly box of goodies. They collaborate with various artists & illustrators and there is a mix of stuff in the box that you will be bidding on.

A copy of Girl Planet which is a zine they publish each month, Mel Stringer I Donut Care print and patch, Good Morning print by Belsartworld, mini cards by Emma Margaret Illustration, Girls glitter banner by All Her Glory designs, strawbunny pin by Ponypeople, Lucky Dip Club Girl Gang pins, mini motivational pocket cards, BFF keyring kit by Samantha Eynon, mermaid notebook, Lucky Dip Club weekly planner. Wowzers!

A closer look at what's there!

I really hope you see some items you like and hopefully will see you at the auction over the weekend!

The Terms & Conditions are below. The ones for Crown & Glory and Jilly Jilly (at the bottom) are slightly different due to them sending to the winning bidder direct but the bidding process is the same for all.

TERMS AND CONDITIONS -  Princess Ali's auction for Smile for ME

Auctioneer: Alison West
Vendors: Lisa Angel, Punky Pins, Annie and Blanche and Lucky Dip Club
In aid of: Smile for ME

1. BIDDING
The auction will take place on https://facebook.com/beingamummywithME/
Photos of the items for auction prior to the opening of the bidding with full description will be available on beingamummywithme.blogspot.com. Bids may be placed by commenting your bid amount on the photo of the item you would like. A post with photographs of all items up for auction will go live at 9am on Saturday May 14th. Bids will be accepted at any time from 9am on Saturday 14th May until 9pm on Sunday 15th May.

2. POSTAGE CHARGES
No charge for postage or delivery of items will be made to the purchaser. The auctioneer is expected to bear the cost of onward postage direct to the successful purchaser. Due to this, UK bidders only please.

3. PAYMENT
Alison, as auctioneer, will contact the successful purchasers on Sunday 15th May, once the bidding has closed at 9pm. They will be advised the total amount to be paid. Payment may be made through BT mydonate page set up for Smile for ME. Please note payment through PayPal is not available for BT mydonate, payments are through credit or debit card only. A link to the page will be provided. Please note gift aid cannot be claimed on these payments.

4. STORAGE OF LOTS
The items for sale will remain with the auctioneer until sold.

5. VIEWING OF LOTS FOR SALE
There will be no physical viewing of items for sale. Bidders must rely solely on the description of items and photographs given by the seller/auctioneer. A catalogue of the items for auction will be available on beingamummywithme.blogspot.com. The auctioneer does however undertake to forward any purchasers’ queries to the vendors, if there is any uncertainly about what is on offer.

6. DELIVERY OF LOTS
 All Lots to be sold will be delivered direct from the auctioneer within 10 working days of receipt of payment. The auctioneer will bear the cost of postage or delivery (unless otherwise stated) and will undertake to ensure that the item is secured packaged to avoid damage in transit.  

TERMS AND CONDITIONS -  Princess Ali's auction for Smile for ME

Auctioneer: Alison West
Vendors: Crown and Glory and Jilly Jilly
In aid of: Smile for ME

1. BIDDING
The auction will take place on https://facebook.com/beingamummywithME/
Photos of the items for auction prior to the opening of the bidding with full description will be available on beingamummywithme.blogspot.com. Bids may be placed by commenting your bid amount on the photo of the item you would like. A post with photographs of all items up for auction will go live at 9am on Saturday May 14th. Bids will be accepted at any time from 9am on Saturday 14th May until 9pm on Sunday 15th May.

2. POSTAGE CHARGES
No charge for postage or delivery of items will be made to the purchaser. The vendor is expected to bear the cost of onward postage direct to the successful purchaser. UK only bidders please.

3. PAYMENT
Ali, as auctioneer will contact the successful purchasers on Sunday 15th May, once the bidding has closed at 9pm. They will be advised of the total amount to be paid. Payment may be made through BT mydonate page set up for Smile for ME. Please note payment through PayPal is not available for BT mydonate, payments are through credit or debit card only. A link to the page will be provided. Please note gift aid cannot be claimed on these payments.

4. STORAGE OF LOTS
The items for sale will remain with the vendor until sold.

5. VIEWING OF LOTS FOR SALE
There will be no physical viewing of items for sale. Bidders must rely solely on the description of items and photographs given by the vendor/ auctioneer. A catalogue of the items available for auction will be able to view at beingamummywithme.blogspot.com. The auctioneer does however undertake to forward any purchasers’ queries to the sellers, if there is any uncertainly about what is on offer.

6. DELIVERY OF LOTS
The auctioneer will notify the vendor of the details of the successful purchasers once payment has been received. All Lots to be sold will be delivered direct from the vendor within 10 working days of receipt of payment. The vendor will bear the cost of postage or delivery (unless otherwise stated) and will undertake to ensure that the item is secured packaged to avoid damage in transit.

7. CONFIRMATION OF OWNERSHIP
The vendor warrants to the Auctioneers and to the Purchaser:-
a. That she is the true owner of the Lot or is properly authorised to sell the Lot by the true owner.
b. Is able to transfer a good and marketable title to the lot free from any third party claims liens and encumbrances and that all entries on the entry form are correct.
c. That no lot is subject to any hire purchase, lease, contract hire agreement or any other finance agreement or contract.

Thank you for your support. Feel free to ask any questions in the comments.

Ali (aka Princess!)
xx