Blogging is brilliant.

It's brilliant because it brings communities together, raises thousands for charity, develops life long friendships and brings you opportunities you'd only dream of!

And.... it brought me to Buddy.

Oh what a night! Kirsten and I have been giddy for a couple of weeks, my sister was livid as was my brother and sister in law in New Jersey who adore his show Cake Boss! If you haven't seen it you are one of the few, his shows are televised in 190 countries! 

I had no idea what to expect from an international celebrity. But he surpassed all expectations.

Charming, witty, informal, welcoming (He kissed us all on two cheeks asking "This is what you do in England right?!") and led the most informal workshop, bouncing questions back and forwards between bloggers, journalists and television network staff, who were all as giddy as we were.

Buddy is passionate about creating a legacy and it was his strong sense of family that was so overwhelming. He wants a successful empire but he wants a clean, family, wholesome empire. One which will inspire generations to bake.

He calls it "Empowering the home baker." 

Buddy had both the men and women captivated in the basement kitchen of L'Atelier des Chefs in London's Mayfair. I was impressed with his sincerity and the way in which he openly discussed his own ups and downs and family heartbreak. This isn't a skill he has mastered, it's his natural charm.

We were all invited as part of a promotional event for his new line of bakeware. A HUGE new line of everything you could possibly ever want or need. But there were moments when you forgot he had a new line to sell. There were no figures or statistics, no hard sell, just banter. 

There were bloggers, bakers and writers and it was wonderful to meet Caroline too! 

But what I noticed was how classic the styling of the new collection was. With a reputation for creating enormous, extravagant cakes and even covering a whole car in fondant icing once, I had imagined the packaging, colours and patterns to have a show business quality to them. But no. Beautifully packaged, timeless products and pretty decorations. Feminine colour palette but the metal bakeware and gadgets have a strong unisex feel which I can see men and women alike snapping up as soon as they hit UK stores. If you can't wait until then you can purchase the range on Amazon.

Thanks to the official TLC photographer for providing the image of me icing my "marble" creation. Eek!

We were all sent home with a marvellous goodie bag full of treats to try and watch, apron and books including The Cake Decorating Bible by Juliet Sear, Cake Boss' ambassador in the UK. And Kirsten won the prize for the best decorated cake! Go Kirsten! 

Thank you to Porter Marketing for such a brilliant invitation.

And don't forget to watch the new series of Cake Boss on TLC on Fridays at 9pm.

And if you haven't yet nominated your favourite blogs for the BritMums Brilliance in Blogging Awards (yes I know - it's blog awards season!) today is your last chance!

You don't have to submit links to everything just the blog website links you love. 

Of course I'd be thrilled to be nominated this year so if you think I deserve a place in the shortlist you can nominate HERE.

Phew! As you read this we are heading to Penzance for a fun filled family weekend celebrating my niece's 18th birthday, after the busiest working week.

Here are some photos from my week, how was yours?

ps the podcast will be live tomorrow but it may be later in the evening so make sure you check back in ;)

pps I realised last night that my week was full of pink! I seem to be indulging my feminine side at the moment!

ppps Have you seen the speaker line up for BritMums Live this year?! Check it out ;)

pppps Have you nominated your favourite blogs in the Brilliance in Blogging Awards yet?! Don't be scared by the voting form, if you love a blog they will be thrilled that you took the time to nominate them. You can nominate here.

It can't just be me, it can't just be us, whose sweet(ish) little boy walked into school in September and disappeared.

The boy who was grateful, wide eyed and thankful appears to use up all his positive energy between the hours of 9am and 3pm.

There is a glimmer of a good boy when I pick him up from school, as he runs beaming into my arms like an angel with wings, exclaiming "Mama, Mama!" This is a vast improvement from the first school term, where pick up time was a huge disappointment and I was greeted with "Oh no, I wanted Dada to pick me up" and a miserable face.

But as soon as we hit the large metal gates which lead you to a footpath through the village, towards the row upon row of school run cars all jostling for the closest spot to the top of the path, the demon returns.

Pushing his little brother out of the way so he can be the leader, dramatic tears for not being first to touch the car door, or first to be belted into their car seat. As I collapse in a heap, with my hair invariably windswept across my face and stuck to my lip gloss, the only scrap of make up I've remembered at 2.45pm to try and mask the exhaustion, all I hear is a barrage of "I want a snack, where's my snack?"

And then he sets the other one off.

Whatever I have in my handbag is obviously no good, it's not the right snack or the corner has slightly got crumbled at the bottom of my bag and now it's the end of his world.

By the time we've completed the 6 minute journey home, all thoughts of stopping at the supermarket to stock up the cupboards have exasperated, as has my mood. So another Tesco Express run will be on the cards early evening tonight.

It makes you sound like a dreadful mother to experience a feeling of not enjoying your children's company. 

I know there is a good boy in there somewhere because we see him every now and again, and it's those moments that keep you going.

Appreciation and gratitude are feeling impossible to teach at the moment.

Of course we know they are unsettled, we all are. We are living and working in a muddle. Not being able to find a house to buy has affected every single member of this family, including the dogs, who woof through the night to be let out of the pink bathroom where they are meant to sleep. Dogs with interior decor taste - they don't seem to like the pink artex either. Of course I spend too much time on my blog and posting photos to social media. Much more fun to post a picture of glitter play rather than actually play. I am not a fool, I can see where changes need to be made.

It's been a month of working around the clock and it's hard to explain that working benefits them in the long run. The trips out, the new Star Wars pants, the parties and holidays.

At parent's evening he received a glowing report, a paternal boy who is kind and thoughtful, popular and funny. I was so proud.

Everyday we start a fresh. Put the previous days squabbles behind us and try again. 

Because I know deep down all he wants is to please us, to be praised for his good behaviour. I know he loves his baby brother really, even when he's dragging him kicking and screaming around the hallway by his jumper collar or when they are slapping each other so affectionately, vying for what is perceived as the "best seat" on the sofa, in front of the tv.

And when I feel on the point of tears, I am going to play this video.

But tell me it's not just me, not just us who seem to have bypassed the terrible twos and hit the frightful fours, rising fives head on?!