The PB Family

A UK Family lifestyle and beauty Blog. We are a family who range in age from 2 months - 70years! Join us as we review items, live our daily life and discuss the worlds happenings!

Friday 31 March 2017

Monthly catch up march 2017

Hello everyone.
So today I'm starting a new series which will be a monthly post catching up on our family life.

This month has been nothing if not eventful!
Firstly we have had four birthdays!  Firstly Mr PB on the 3rd and then  DIL on the 7th.  Followed by Big son PB on 14th then mine on the 19th.  Finally little son PB who was 22 years old.  Where have the years gone!  I can remember the boys being tiny and the time has just flown by! Obviously due to my illness in the middle of the month birthdays celebrations have been rather muted and in fact almost none existent!  We will make up for it later in the year!

Spring has definitely sprung!  The weather is so much milder and its lovely to wake up to the sun streaming through the window in the morning.  There isnothing better than a bit of sunshine on your cornflakes! (anyone remember that advert?)

Our two little princesses are now four and six months and continue to grow and just be beautiful.  they bring us so much joy!

 Chuckles has finally started to smile at us when she sees us.   (shes very selective who she smiles at!)

Mimi is a joy as always.  She is really an intelligent little girl.. At parents evening her mum was told she is reading well above her age level and in fact is at the level that would be expected at the end of the year above her!

Bob is a sweetheart.  He loves to play fight with grandad and has just found you tube videos that show Mario games being played!  He is addicted to them and makes us watch whenever we go round there!

Miss PB is doing well.  She is in the middle of revising for her stats.  This is causing her no problems and she is far from being stressed out by it all.  She is quite laid back like her Daddy and very little phases her.  I am still in awe of how she helped to revive me when I was so poorly.  She is certainly a special little girl.

We are blessed with our family.

As far as the blog is going, I am pleased with the direction ts taking.  I plan to do some more reviews and an looking at different items to review.  As you know my favourite thing is make up but I intend to try to do more non make up reviews.  What do you think?

Well that's a quick update from us.

Thanks for stopping by and We hope to see you here again real soon! 



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Thursday 23 March 2017

Sad news from London UK

Hello lovlies

There is a sad cloud hanging over the UK this morning after the incident in London Westminster yesterday.  I don't want to say terrorist attack as this hasn't been confirmed but it was a awful event and people lost their lives.  One of which was a police officer who lost his life fulfilling his job role "to serve and protect".

Sometimes humanity can be so cruel and do dark things.  Humans are not always the best of beings and we are often horrible to each other.  When things happen so near to you it hits home just how fragile life is and how we should all strive to make things better for each other.  Whether its a friendly wave or smile to a neighbour or a helping hand to someone in need.  If we all did one kind thing a week to "pay it forward" the world would be such a better place. 

Lets just learn one thing from yesterday.  There were more people who came to aid and help the victims than there were attackers.  That's got to say something. Hasn't it?

Bye for now

Hales xxx

Tuesday 21 March 2017

Where have I been. Good excuse this time!

Hello everyone!

Well I have had a eventful couple of weeks!  You may not have noticed me missing due to the fact that I schedule posts in advance.

Two weeks ago I fell extremely ill.  It happened literally overnight. I had been for a meal at my brothers the night before and I felt fine!
 My husband found me unconscious and not breathing in bed.  I had a respiratory arrest. My daughter first put me in the recovery position and then gave me CPR.  (shes eleven years old! ELEVEN!)
The air ambulance was called and two ambulances came out.  They managed to revive me enough to allow me to walk down the stairs assisted to the stretcher.  To cut a long story short, I ended up in intensive care for a week on a respirator.  I'm am extremely lucky to be alive.  My family were told to expect the worst.  But God is good!  I am at home and well on the road to recovery.  The hospital were amazing and I couldn't have asked for better care.  The NHS is amazing and I owe my life to them.  I shall be eternally grateful to all the staff and the institution that is the NHS.

In a weird quirk of fate my brother was also admitted to intensive care within a hour of me being taken there.  He has pneumonia and has had to  be moved to a bigger hospital in our county.  He has had to have a operation to help him breathe and is extremely ill.    He is critical but "as well as can be expected" whatever that means!  I am unable to visit for fear of passing the illness back and forth on Drs orders.  We are extremely close and its very hard not to speak to him as we speak everyday.  Please remember him in your prayers.





Well that's a update from me!  I hope you are well and I hope to see you back here soon.  Bye for now xx

Hales xx

Tuesday 7 March 2017

New lipsticks! Mrs PB made a Faux pas!

Hello everyone!

I have recently discovered the delights that are the shopping site Ali Express.  Why did I not know about this site before?!  Basically its a selling site a bit like eBay but without the bidding.  Things are extremely cheap and mostly come from China and Japan and take a few weeks to arrive here in the UK.  If you don't mind the wait you can pick up so bargains!
So far I have bought lots of things like stickers for my planner, towels, jewellery wall hanger, cosmetics storage and recently I spotted some lipsticks that I liked the look of.

*Disclaimer*
I am sure, in fact I'm sure I'm sure that when I ordered these it did not say penis shaped! But they have arrived and they are in fact penis shaped!  This has caused many giggles!  I will not be taking these particular lipsticks with me to church to top up my lippy!


So to the lipsticks!

So, They come in lovely packaging.  Really pretty and the packaging doesn't feel cheap or flimsy.
The lipstick is from the brand Kakaxi and I bought shades 3, 6, & 8.

The actual tube of the lipstick is a lovely black pattern and would look lovely arranged on your dressing table.  I really love it!
The colours are lovely.  I really like shade 3 which is a Scarlett red very similar to a Rimmel one that I have reviewed before. 
Its very unfortunate bout the shape!  Although I suppose that as a novelty gift they would be quite amusing.  Thing is I like to be thrifty so Ive bought them, and shall use them up! 
 I tried them and found they have a very creamy texture.  They last around a hour and a half on the lips, so not particularly long lasting but priced at £1.23 each I guess you get what you pay for.  I also noticed that the tube of product isn't quite as long as the ones we get in the UK.  Maybe that is reflected in the price? Or maybe its just how they make them.  I have ordered some other lipsticks so I will compare them on size when they arrive.
I suppose I could always say they were mushroomed shape rather than penis style!


Should you be interested in buying them they can be found HERE.  
Delivery to the UK took around four weeks but like I said if you don't mind the wait the price is excellent!

I hope you got the end of this post without laughing at me too much and I hope to see you back here again really soon!

Bye for now

Hales x 


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Friday 3 March 2017

Random question generator

Hello lovelies!

Today I thought Id do something a bit different.
In a bid to get you to know me better Ive decided to do a Q&A using a random question generator here.  So here we go!

1.  Who is the most famous person you have met?

The Duke of Edinburgh.  I met him when I was a venture scout at a celebration in Birmingham.

2.  Do you have any siblings? 

Yes!  I have four brothers and five sisters with a further three brothers from my fathers second marriage.

3.  Who was the last person that you called or texted?

My Friend Rick

4.  What's the worst thing you can say on a first date?

Whats that smell?

5.  What was the last book you read?

Hollow city from the Miss Peregrines home for extraordinary children series

6. If you could try out any job for one week, what job would you choose to try?

Without a doubt a Midwife!

7.   Do you prefer to take baths or showers?

I prefer baths but unfortunately we only have a wet room.  If we stay in a hotel I try to ensure we have a bath!

8.   How have you changed since you were younger?

I have definitely become a calmer person and also have a better self body image.

9.   What was the last movie you saw?

Friend request.  I don't recommend it!

10.   What are your three must have smart phone apps?

Twitter, Instagram and Ali express!

So If you've got this far I hope this little Q&A has given you a better insight into my world.

see you soon

Bye for now

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Wednesday 1 March 2017

A Newbies Guide To Getting Free Stuff

Hello every one.  Today I want to talk to you about some great websites I have found.  Ive also got some handy hints and tips on getting freebies. 

There is a lot of free stuff on the internet and it is all yours for the taking. These freebies will include tangible products or real life items and digital products such as free eBooks. A lot of companies are queuing up to give away free samples of their products and you simply need to be willing to take the time to request these free items. When you do this, products will be dropping through the letterbox on a regular basis.(and we all like to get post that isnt a bill!)

However, before you get started there are some tips and information that you need to know about. This is particularly important if you are new to the freebie business. This advice and information will primarily relate to real life freebies such as product samples.

Before you being it is important to note that there are many family friendly freebie sites, but safety and security are still important. You should check this before you start using the website and ensure that they are not going to be sending you unsolicited emails or other correspondence.

Set Up A Second Email Address

It is recommended that you set up a second free email address from a service like Gmail or Yahoo. This is due to the fact that you will need to provide an email address for most freebies or sign up to a newsletter to receive it. This means that you will be receiving promotional emails from the company and you will want to keep this out of your primary email address. Setting up a new account will only take a few minutes, but could save you time when you have to look at emails in your primary inbox.

How Can It Be Free, There Must Be A Catch?

There are a lot of people who feel that this cannot be completely free and there is a catch, but it is so small that it doesn't warrant any worry. The catch is that you are going to be signing up to a mailing list in most cases and you will need to provide your physical location to receive the freebie. Most people who get freebies have found that they do not suffer from large amounts of unwanted junk mail and the use if the second email address ensures that the mailing lists do not bother them.

Of course, you need to ensure that you are getting free products from legitimate companies. The company needs to take privacy seriously and complies with all data protection laws. This is why you need to be cautious when looking at freebies and if an offer seems too good to be true then it most likely is.

The Top Freebie Sites For Newbies

WOW FreeStuff

WOW Free Stuff is an easy to use website that has over 1000 freebies listed on the site. Around 10 new freebies are generally listed on the site each day so you know there will always be something new. Most of the freebies that are listed will be samples, but this makes it possible to get a range of products from shampoo to toys to chocolate and even some eco-friendly products. The toiletry samples are great and will often come in handy when you are going to travel or stay over somewhere.

Freecycle

Freecycle is probably one of the best freebie sites on the internet, but will not work in the same way as many of the others. The free items listed on the site will be from other people who are getting rid of things that they no longer want or need. Most of the items will be second hand, but every once in a while you will find something new that is offered for free.

Additionally, with this site, you could look at getting something substantial for free each day like a washing machine, a TV, a baby cot or a chair instead of a small sample. Freecycle was originally created as a means of keeping goods out of the landfill, but now has more than 5 million users spread across 85 different countries.

Gumtree

The Gumtree Freebies section will work in a similar manner to Freecycle as members will upload items that they want to get rid of. As you might expect, there is a fair amount of rubbish in the listing, but you will also be able to find some really good items. Some of the great items that have been picked up on Gumtree for free include a vintage typewriter, a trampoline and a dishwasher.

A benefit of this site is that you can make your location as specific as you want. However, if you are not flexible when traveling to pick up items then you could be missing out on something that you really want.

Preloved

Pre loved also have free stuff on their website.  Just type in FREE in the search bar and narrow the search to your area.  Its as simple as that!
I recently got a lovely leather armchair in perfect condition for free!

So why not pop over and take  look at  WOW FREEBIES or one of the other ways you can find freebies.  Im sure you wont be disapointed!  I hope this post has been helpful to you and I do encourage to take advantage of the free products out there!

Bye for now
Hales xx