Spice Up Your Road Trip

You never forget where you were the first time you heard those immortal lyrics:

I really really really want to Zig a Zig Ahhhh....

Do you?

Admittedly I was a bit long in the tooth to be a Spice Girl as when they launched I was in my mid twenties and a little old to wear micro mini skirts, 7 inch platform boots and wear my hair in bunches, but I do remember being at a club and hearing that song for the first time and being blown away by the youthful infectious energy behind it.

The reason I mention the Spice Girls is that my girls (age 8 and 11) are obsessed with the film Spice World. They run around the house screaming in Cockney 'Spice up your Liiiiiifffffe!' and 'Girl Power!'

But they do have a few bones about the outfits. They say if they were the Spice Girl managers they would have dressed them all the same as Posh is the only one who always looks good and the rest sometimes look like a dog's dinner, especially poor Sporty who really gets the worst outfits, mostly swaddled in dayglo baggy shell suits.

My girls were all set to be the new Spice Girls but I'm afraid I burst their bubble by explaining that no, the Spice Girls were not all sexy schoolgirls who made up the song Wannabe in their lunchbreak before being head hunted by a major record label. That in fact they can't write lyrics for toffee and probably had to jump through more hoops than a circus monkey to audition to join the Spice Five.

I must admit I did watch a bit of the movie and was, well amazed at the amount of energy those young people expelled. It was like watching a bunch of kittens in a sack. They did not stop moving or yacking.



All aboard the Spice Bus


It reminded me of some painful road trips I have taken with my kids. Even if you take the DS, the laptop to play DVDs, the books on tape about wierd subjects etc etc. Sooner or later someone will spill juice on the laptop, the DS will run out of juice and someone will start crying that they are bored. So what better way to spice up your road trip this summer than with a free download - yes I said free - from those lovely people at Netflights who are offering a downloadable puzzle pack to keep the little scamps busy at the back of the car this summer.

I am pretty sure if the Spice Girls had had such a puzzle pack at their disposal they would not have leapt from the tour bus and hyjacked a boat and almost drowned!

So go on, grab a Kids Summer Holiday Puzzle Pack today! No need to thank me.

So....What are your PG rated memories of the Spice Girls? And where were you when you first heard Zigazig Ah?

Thankful Thursday: Candy Haiku

Today I will mostly be trying to compose a haiku:

Thanks to the Easter Bunny

Who made this week

So very scrummy



I bit the heads off a dozen peeps
Murdered six rabbits
Licked the life out of

Fourteen bubble gum
Flavored lollipops
And a licorice bear

Now I would like
For all the woodland
Animals

To creep through my window
And eat the rest of my candy
Stash

Before my stomach explodes
Showering shards of sugar
Over the neighborhood

So come on squirrels
And non-rabid raccoons
I need you to

Scoff the rest of
My stash before
I turn into a sugar mama

What do you think of my Candy Haiku? And what are you thankful for? Link Up!

This is a link up to:

Black Tag Diaries
Kate Says Stuff
Brown Eyed Bell

Confessions of a Cake Addict

Cakeaholic Kate Pickles is feeling the weight but when she falls hopelessly in love with a sexy Austrian she is caught in a Viennese Whirl

Hurrah! My novel Confessions of a Cake Addict is now available in paperback and Kindle! So do me a favor and buy it. And leave a review on Amazon if it tickles your Fondant Fancy!

STRAIGHT FROM THE HORSE'S MOUTH:

MORE BLURB:

Londoner Kate Pickles has hit rock bottom. She's funny, kind, and talented but totally unaware about all the great things she has going for her. Day in and day out, she sits back and whines to her sister Laurie in Sydney, Australia, as her boss walks all over her and her best friend Eva bags the hot guys while Kate ends up dating whack jobs and comfort eating cake. Pouring out her heart to Laurie in a series of letters and emails, Kate longs for her sister to confirm she really is the loser in love she fears she is. Abruptly, Kate's life is turned upside down when, on a trip to Vienna with her glamorous pal, Eva, Kate falls for a sexy Austrian and gets sucked into making a Bollywood film a bit like this one:

CHARACTERS:

The story unfolds in a series of letters and emails between overweight, insecure Gherkin (Kate) who lives in London, is tortured by her boss The Haddock at the advertising agency she works at and whose life has generally hit the skids since she split up with her long term boyfriend and has started dating a string of losers. Whenever things go wrong she muffles her feelings with cake. Her sister Egg (Laurie) lives a perfect life in Sydney, Australia, is happily married and has two perfect, high achieving kids. However, the kids do leave her frazzled so she enjoys dipping into Kate's messy life and living vicariously through her romantic disasters but can't resist giving her dollops of sisterly advice. Laurie pulls no punches when commenting on Kate's bad life choices and echoes the reader's sentiments that zany, kooky Kate really needs to get a life.

Laurie is a refreshing burst of reality, cutting through Kate's delusions and encouraging her to lose weight and go for it with Count Alex von Pappenberg when she's scared to be vulnerable. Alex von Pappenberg, is a handsome but sensitive Austrian Count who is similarly disillusioned with life and love as Kate and lying low in the Austrian sticks in his Schloss. Like Kate he is stuck in life - his once successful vineyard has gone bankrupt and he's too unmotivated to start it up again. When Kate arrives at his Schloss as part of the entourage making a Bollywood movie Alex is determined to win her love but scared to make a move himself. Readers will enjoy seeing two insecure people grow to the point where they can take a chance on finding love again and facing the challenges of the future together!

IDEAL READER:

If you enjoy stories about hot holiday romances you'll enjoy this. It's aimed at women aged about 20-40 who are adventurous and full of fun who are tired of romance 'bodice-rippers' with their formulaic plots and unrealistic heros. If you're looking to be entertained by a romantic comedy that's chock full of quirky characters and hilarious situations then you'll love Confessions of a Cake Addict! People who like authors like Marian Keyes, Sophie Kinsella, Jenny Colgan Lisa Jewell will find this 'just their cup of tea' and a cake to go with it.

Review by Alice Castle, Author of Hot Chocolate (4 Stars):

I've long been a fan of Emma Kaufmann's blog, Mommy Has a Headache, so was very much looking forward to reading her novel, Confessions of a Cake Addict. It didn't disappoint. I loved the immediacy of the epistolatory format between the accident-prone heroine, Kate Pickles, and her sensible, grown-up sister, always ready to shower Kate with advice which proves all too easy to ignore. Kate's relationship with her best friend and flatmate seemed very real, with occasional flashes of jealousy, envy and loneliness against a background of deep affection. The two, of course, are chalk and cheese. In many ways, Emma has followed the successful pattern of chicklit formula but has added her own characteristic dashes of quirky humour and atmosphere. I loved the sudden injection of Bollywood into the scenes in Vienna, for instance, and the faded glamour of the Austrian castle owned by our hero. The central love affair is nurtured like a delicate bloom and we are rooting for Kate at the end. A great fun read which will make you want to have your cake and eat it too.

Check out more juicy info about the book over at Shelfari!