You'll be Seeing Less of Me in Future!

Welcome! To get started, read this to learn more about me and this post shows you the pictures!

I've always been a fashion lover but some fashions don't love me! Well, my 'womanly' figure is sometimes too much for what I want to wear, but I wasn't having any of that for a recent family wedding!

Busty girls will back me up here - If I've been shopping and a top doesn't button up, I just say "Well, I'm too much of a woman for it!' but at the wedding of my Brother in Law, I wanted to wear a gorgeous purple dress I'd seen in Monsoon, and there was NO WAY I'd buy the size 20. I've been losing weight from being a size 24 at my largest, so I had my sights set on the size 18 and this was going to be my target.

Here is how the dress fit a couple of months ago! Note the side zip that doesn't fit!


...and hallelujah! Here is how it zipped after months of slogging at the gym!


People around me knew that I was on a mission, and were asking me how I'd progressed. I went from saying the dress fabric either side of the zip was 3 inches apart - this was when I bought the dress, to "No, I still have about an inch left to go". I was quite relaxed for a while as I knew I was making progress. I could feel my body toning up and I looked better in the mirror, but as the big day grew nearer I started to worry a little when a month before I was still not in the dress!

I started to formulate a 'Plan B' of what I'd do if I couldn't make it, and whilst doing this I stepped up my gym activity. I started using the punch-bag as well as the treadmill, and working with hand weights. The problem was my boobs- I had slimmed down everywhere else - the dress fitted my waist and hips, but my boobs still wouldn't squash up enough to get the zip up! The only problem is that boobs are fat, not muscle so there were no specific exercises I could do to tone them!

My plan B involved booking an inch loss body wrap to try to minimise my bust, if this didn't work, I was going to get a minimiser bra, if that didn't work I was going to go bra-less and told people I'd squash them under my armpits if I had to! My last resort would be to go back to Monsoon and swop the dress for the larger size (I'd left the tags on) but that would have been very disappointing.

As it happens, I got into the dress 5 days before the inch loss wrap so when I went for the wrap, I could just enjoy it for the relaxation! Result!

This is me at the family wedding:


I hope you like my blog. I feel like a party host and you are my guests so it's important to me that you feel welcome! Do follow this blog so I know who my guests are! Your support really makes a difference. x

Olé OLAY!

Welcome! To get started, read this to learn more about me and this post shows you the pictures!



**This is a Product Review Post**

Product Name: Total Effects Wake Up Wonder by OLAY
Buy Online Here: www.Olay.co.uk
Price: £13.99
Star Rating: 5 out of 5 stars - Top Marks!

The blurb: According to their magazine advert in this month's SHE Magazine, Total Effects Wake Up Wonder has 7 age defying effects in a new formula, with mint extract, to smooth out the appearances of creases and wake up tired looking skin. Sounds awesome doesn't it?! As a busy mum of two, I need a boost on a morning to get me looking awake so I was excited to try out this moisturiser.
Initial Thoughts: Having used the Olay range in the past I had some expectations, so at first glance this bottle seemed smaller than other Olay products I've used. This isn't necessarily a bad thing - I like compact products to take to the gym so I'm not lugging round my whole bathroom cabinet, but I did wonder if I'd been sent a 'trial size' to try. When I was at the supermarket the next day I checked and my bottle appeared to be a full size, so maybe this compact size packs a bigger punch?! Also because of the pale golden colour of the bottle, it reminded me of moisturisers that contain sunless tanner, and I wondered if this was how they would get me looking wide awake! By secretly giving me a fake tan glow! However I read the box and the bottle but couldn't see any evidence of sunless tanner in this product.
I Liked: I really liked the design of the bottle. Neat and compact. it had a press spray top (like the kind of dispensers you get on hand-wash) which meant I could just dispense the amount I needed and I didn't have to put my fingers into the jar to get the moisturiser out. I always think it is more hygienic to get the product without having to touch what's left in the bottle in case you have oil on your hands. The smell of the product was pleasant and it went on really smoothly and evenly.
I wasn't Keen: I honestly can't say I was disappointed with anything which is why this moisturiser has top marks from me!
Overall: This is a lovely moisturiser but I especially like how Olay says it has 7 age defying effects from brightening me up in general to gentle exfoliation and tone enhancement. I feel like I'm treating my skin well by using this moisturiser and price wise it is reasonable for what you get. As I get older (mid thirties now!) I am starting to look after what I have, and before this one, I used a YSL Top Secrets moisturiser which was equally as good but cost more than twice as much!

I had just purchased a new night cream which was Olay Anti Wrinkle Night Cream which is on BOGOFF at Superdrug so I got two for £9.99, and I do like to use the same manufacturer for my whole skincare regime so now I'm using the Wake Up Wonder on a morning and for now I'm all sorted!

I hope you like my blog. I feel like a party host and you are my guests so it's important to me that you feel welcome! Do follow this blog so I know who my guests are! Your support really makes a difference. x

Bloggy-woggy-doo-dah!

...I just wanted to use this title!! (hehe!)

But my daughter made me proud yet again today! She created a 'book' out of A4 writing paper and designed a front cover. Then she put Author - and her name on the cover, and wrote a story inside - along the "Once upon a time" theme.

Then she created a sign to say "Book - 10p" and she was holding it at the living room window! I asked what she was up to and she showed me - we don't get much 'passing trade' on the street, especially as it was 8pm at night so I told her I wanted to buy her book myself!

This is her book:


Bless her - she is a born entrepreneur. I'm glad that my children are learning from their environment. Always open to possibilities, willing to get up and do something, unafraid to put themselves out there and take a chance, and can spot a potential opportunity at 50 paces. I have no worries about this one - she is a smart cookie and she has a very proud Mummy!

About Time Management Mum (in photos)

This blog is all about my passions - that is my family, and time management (I know, I'm a freak!)

So here is who I'm talking about when I write about my daughter, my son and my husband.

This is my 'mini me' - she has just moved up to Middle School.



This is my son - he is a 'mini him' - just like his dad! He has just started nursery.


This is the other half - he's a hunka hunka burning love and thinks he's funnier than he actually is but I secretly find him really amusing! We were childhood sweethearts, so I've spent more years with him than I spent without him!


...and this is me - Time Management Mum! I'm Nadine Hill.


The rest of our family are here - Jet and Star!

This is Jet on my daughter's bed:


This is Star on my son's bed:


And just to prove that there really are two of them - here they are in the hall! It can be hard telling them apart but their eyes are different!



Now you've met us, I hope you enjoy this blog!

I could tell you that being organised saves time, money and boosts your productivity but the bottom line is that if you stay on top of stuff, you will have more energy and this might mean you get more sex!
Like my content? I'd be honoured if you added me to your blogroll and followed this blog - your support really does make a difference. x

Allow me to Introduce Myself...

I'm Nadine Hill - AKA Time Management Mum.

I have two gorgeous kids - a girl (a mini me) and a boy (a mini 'him'!) and like the Royal Princes, they are my 'heir and my spare'! We spend loads of time together usually involving me as Chief Taxi Driver, but when we're home we love getting into our pyjamas and cuddling on the sofa watching X Factor in the winter or You've Been Framed at all other times! Other faves are Drop Dead Diva and America's Next Top Model and when they have the telly to themselves it usually involves Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and Hannah Montana!

Hubby is a very 'hands on' dad when he's in, but he works a lot so on weekdays it's usually me and the kiddyminsters doing our thing.

More about me:
I run a business from home called The Dream PA and I'm also a writer - having authored my first book in 2009 which went straight to the #1 slot for business books on Amazon on its launch day!
I've just finished writing my second book which is a time management guide for writers, bloggers and infopreneurs and should be out in September 2010, I have to say - I LOVE writing, so no doubt there will be more books in future years!
I'm also a speaker - learn more about this at my 'online CV' site, and I blog here at Time Management Mum quite a bit too!

I write about my busy life, striving for 'me time' (this gets easier with practice!) about things that make my day run more smoothly - products, services and nuggets of information, and about being an ex fashionista London based girl-about-town and now a 30 something mum of two in Yorkshire who still loves the current trends but all labels now have to say 'wash at 30 degrees' rather than 'MaxMara' (not that I could ever afford that even then - I used to shop in Warehouse!)

So this blog is about how I run my show - do leave me a comment as I'd love to hear how you run yours! ...