Aimee Horton

WIN GIN!

Oct
19

The biggest thing I’ve learnt over the last year or so is that books are slow burners. Not just to read, not just to write, but as a whole. The process is long, and the rewards are what you make of them. It’s rare one of those rewards is to be rich, and if you understand that, you begin to see the real benefits.

For example, the sense of accomplishment is rather nice. The little worlds you get lost in can be good fun – or blooming scary depending what kind of books you write!. But to me, the two bits that stand out are (nice) reviews and seeing people REAL LIFE PEOPLE with my book.

My dream (other than of course tv/movie rights – KATHERINE PARKINSON FOR DOTTIE PLEASE) has always been for my books to be on a poster in tube stations, and to see people reading it. Now I’m not big enough for either the tube station, and I don’t go on the tube enough to see people reading my book, but thanks to the wonderful world of the internet, people are kind enough to send me pictures of them holding my book.

To me, this is HUGE. On a day where everything goes wrong, to see somebody with my book on their kindle or in their hands makes everything go away, and all the hard work feel worthwhile, as does a review where somebody says they laughed a lot at what I’ve actually written. PEOPLE TELL ME I MAKE THEM LAUGH!

Which, when you read it like that, in all honesty confirms what I always knew. It’s about my ego. The ego that spends most of the time doubting itself, and in the middle of the night, while I’m wiping bottoms and tripping over action figures WHICH I SWEAR ARE LEFT TO HURT ME, questions whether I’m any good or not. So, because I’m not an autumn person, because now Mothers Ruined is out there and I’m sitting here biting my nails telling myself you all hate it…I thought I’d be proactive and ask you to feed my ego. I guess I’m bribing you, some might say.

It’s not gone unnoticed that I like gin. I have a large choice at home, and I have a few favourites right now. All you have to do, to win a bottle of one of my favourite gins, is to like my Facebook page which is here and post a picture of you with one of my books (or all of them). If you want an extra entry into the hat (which Larry will be pulling the winner from) all you need to do is review Mothers Ruined and leave a link on my page so I know about it.

SIMPLES.

Competition ends Friday 20th November 2015. GIN DRINKING!

T&Cs.

This giveaway is open UK wide
The prize is a bottle of gin chosen by Aimee Horton from Passthegin.co.uk
It ends on 20th November 2015
Winners will be contacted, and required to provide their postal address.
The winner will be chosen at random.
The winners must have fulfilled the mandatory requirements – liked Aimee Horton’s Facebook page and posted a picture of themselves with a copy of one of Aimee Horton’s novels on above mentioned Facebook page.
The winners will have 3 days from announcement to contact me and provide their details. If they do not contact me I will re-draw.
You can gain an additional entry to the competition by leaving a review for Mothers Ruined here & here.
The prize is not transferable and there is no cash alternative.

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Getting Fit, to Feel Epic and win a Fitbit Zip and Fitbit Wi-Fi Scales

Jan
28

Last year I started off January getting fit.  I’d discovered running in 2011 and after a knee injury and some decent trainers I got back on it.  I loved it.  Not only  was it the perfect way to get some “me” time without having to deal with the perky chatty people at the gym (NO I DO NOT WANT TO DO ZUMBA IN HALLOWEEN COSTUMES THANK YOU), I loved the air in my lungs, the rhythm to my songs, and that feeling of adrenaline when I came back home.  I even ran UP A MOUNTAIN WHILE ON HOLIDAY!

I felt good, not just health wise, but confidence wise too, suddenly wearing a bikini on the beach didn’t have me quivering like a wreck, my jeans fit better, and all was good.  I even signed up to the Lincoln 10k which I ran last March in aid of Julia’s House for a VERY special boy. Sam gave me the motivation to keep going when I was at my most tired, when my legs wanted to fall off, and when I thought that pizza and wine was better.

So fast they couldn't get a non-blurry photo of me *cough*

So fast they couldn’t get a non-blurry photo of me *cough*

But after I’d done the race, after I’d recovered, after I’d been proud, I became slack.  I’ve not run properly since June time, and you know what, this makes me sad.  You see, I’m a tad competitive, I can’t just go out for a run for the love of it, especially when it’s been a while.  I forget how much I enjoy it, I use being exhausted as an excuse, and suddenly “tomorrow” becomes next week, next month, next year, so here we are.  It’s next year, in fact, it’s nearly February and I’ve not even attempted to update my running play list yet.  My competitiveness is getting in my way, I don’t want to go out for a run ’round the block and not even hit the 2 mile mark before I have to walk. I CAN’T DO THAT!  Oh, and before you say it, I KNOW IT DOESN’T MATTER, but that’ doesn’t change a thing, because I’m that arrogant.

However, just as I was starting to compile a plan, the lovely Jo made me aware of the “Get Fit Feel Epic competition from Moneysupermarket.com” and I thought it would be the perfect oppertunity to give myself a kick up the backside.  They’re giving away two fab prizes, a Fitbit Zip Wireless Activity Tracker, worth £49.99 and Fitbit Aria Wi-Fi Smart Scales, worth £99.99.  Both of which I’ve investigated, considered but not got ’round to purchasing yet.

 

The Fitbit Zip tracks your steps, distance, and calories burned – and syncs those stats to your computer and select smartphones.

 

The Fitbit Aria tracks your weight, % body fat, and BMI over time with a host of online graphs and mobile tools to help you reach your goals.

So what is to be done? What will break the cycle, increase my motivation and fitness levels and give me the boot to go for a run?  Well, I’m currently shredding.  That’s right.  That 20 minute work out where the annoying lady shouts at you.  Oh and can I just say Jillian I’d be more impressed if you did it rather then wandering around while the other two girls do it.  I KNOW THE AB’S DON’T COME FOR FREE, AND NO I WON’T PHONE IT IN OK?

*sigh*

After that, after I’ve completed it and been on my 3 day all inclusive holiday where inevitably I will do nothing but eat I should technically be fit enough to run at a decent level again.  I MAY even enter the 10k again…

Wish me luck folks, my tins of beans are waiting for me, and Jillian doesn’t appear to be a very patient person..

 

 

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When it all gets rather competitive.

Jul
10

Who’d have thought that I would have raised competitive children?  It’s not like I turn everything into a competition or anything. Oh.

Anyway.  It’s all got rather competitive at my house recently.

I am pleased in some ways, after all, I encourage The Beast to be competitive.  I don’t believe in all that “it’s not the winning it’s the taking part” malarkey.  I’m sorry.  If you lose you lose.  I’m not saying you’re a failure (well, not always), but that’s life and you’ve got to try harder next time after all there’s no room for losers in this house suck it and move on.

However, when climbing up the stairs turns into a full on brawl the competitive side of my children begins to grate a little bit.

Climbing the stairs?! I hear you ask. YES. Climbing the stairs – AKA Stair Racing.  And we have a lot of them.  Stair Racing, is not just climbing, it’s descending down them too.  The Beast likes to win.  In the evening, when we’ve had our tea or supper and we head up the stairs to the lounge or the bedrooms, if he thinks he’s not going to make it to the top first he shouts and climbs at a super fast pace.  In the morning, when we’re going down for breakfast, he has to make it to the bottom first.  This can get a little tiresome.

But that’s not actually the main problem these days.  In fact, I look back on those days almost wistfully.  No.  The problem is now that Fatso is also competitive when it comes to stair racing.  So now, every day, they race to the top.  I try and make it fair so they both understand the winning and the losing thing.  After all, Fatty has a distinct extra 2kg disadvantage under his belt, without the coordination of a 4 year old.

However, they are both sore losers.  Again.  Nothing to do with me.

With The Beast, I can reason with him,  I think I’ve won him ’round.  Made him want to try harder but understand you can’t always win.  Also, I’m not sure it’s always the best way, but I encourage him every now and then to let Fatty win – to give him the chance of winning with the ironic explanation of “because he’s littler then you are”.  Explaining this to Fatty isn’t as simple.

Last night as I followed them up the stairs, Fatty had made it to the final two steps, but The Beast was speeding up on the inside, he made it level with Fatty, and I saw him try and sneak round.  Fair play I thought, Tortoise and Hair situation and all that.  However Fatty also felt his presence, and in true breaking the F1 rules style, he weaved.  He cut him off.  Well, with slightly less finesse.  What actually happened is that he pressed him against the wall of the stairs, squeezing him so he couldn’t get past.

However, in doing this, he was also unable to move.  His balance wasn’t evenly spread (well how can it be with that much weight on your thighs?) and if he jumped forward he would most likely to fall backwards.  After a few moments of laughing deliberating I broke it up.  Removed Fatty’s arm, and this resulted in an indignant slightly squished nearly four year old making it to the top first and winning.

To be fair, he wasn’t a smug winner this time, he was too busy looking at his injury (a slight red mark).  Fatty however did not take the sudden loss of first place well.  He threw himself at the top of the stairs and howled, kicked and screamed, before hunting down his competitor and pressing him against the tv cabinet and giving his ear a quick lick.

A coincidence?  No.  Sadly not.  The previous day going down the stairs for breakfast has resulted in a similar display of tantruming – I’d carried him down as he can’t be trusted, but stopped to talk to Matthew and The Beast snuck past.  Fatty hurled himself forward, causing me to nearly drop him, then shouted at him and kicked the door.  YES. He kicked the door.

Who gets dressed fastest, people getting dinner in front of them first, getting in the car second, or racing robots coming last have all resulted in foot stomping, face licking, throwing himself onto the sofa and shouting outbursts.

I do find it funny.  I do laugh a lot.  I am also scared.  After all, I’ve created this monster.  He’s a bigger version of me.

Pass the gin.

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