Today's guest post is from Jennifer who is mum to Harry (3) and Mia (nearly 1).

Jennifer's been blogging for almost a year about the things she gets up to with her family, and the things that go around in her head.

What I particularly like about her blog, which is simply but aptly named Jennifer's Little World, are the posts about the craft activities she does with her children. For example: how to turn a cardboard box into a vehicle, how to make pebble monsters and how to make a cardboard postbox and letters. There are lots more ideas of things to make and do and I can actually see me recreating some of them at home with my toddler; in fact, we've just started making a cardboard box bed for his favourite cuddly toy, Applecat.

Jennifer's maternity leave is quickly drawing to a close - something I can empathise with - and she'll soon be returning to her part-time, non-patient-facing job in the NHS. But she says she'll still have plenty of time to do fun things with her little ones (and blog about them of course!).

You can follow Jennifer on twitter, visit her facebook page and follow her on pinterest.

And now for her post...

I love pondering the aftermath of an apocalyptic scenario. I'm not obsessed about it, and I haven't made any particular preparations myself, but I love reading about stockpiling food and medicine, emergency grab bags, storing drinking water and so on. However it strikes me that the very best way to survive a disaster, once you've survived any initial catastrophe of course, is to be fit and healthy. If you are able to survive without a reliance upon medication, and you have the physical stamina to walk or run long distances, then you will be well ahead of a great deal of the population. I'm not even necessarily talking about a major disaster here, there are many scenarios where you will be in a better position to survive if you are fit and healthy, especially if you are also responsible for others, such as small, heavy children.

I try to keep fit by running, and this is often in the back of my mind as I'm pounding the streets. If I was running away from a predator, how long could I keep going for, and could I outrun them over a distance? I compare myself to people that I'm passing, and try and decide who would be an easier target, them or me. Of course I am really running to keep fit and to try and lose this last bit of baby weight, but I do feel secure in the knowledge that I am probably fitter than many others.

I really enjoy running as exercise, and the great thing about it (apart from the fact that it is virtually free and requires little equipment) is that you can really see your progress. A few years back I decided that I wanted to add running to my exercise regime, and I loved watching my time and speed increase week by week. I've followed a similar routine after the birth of each of my children, and each time have seen myself go from managing only a few minutes to being able to keep running for half an hour, covering 5 kilometres at a reasonable pace.

My method of building up to this was just to keep moving for 30 minutes. At the beginning you will need to alternate walking and running, perhaps doing just a couple of minutes of each until you've filled the full half hour. Gradually build up the amount of running you are doing, with shorter and shorter breaks for brisk walking. After a few months you will find that you are running for the full half hour. This is easier to manage on a treadmill because you can adjust your speed, but if you are out and about and end up a little way from home, the extra walking to get you back won't do any harm. There's no need or sense in rushing it, because ultimately each time you run you are closer to your goal.

This method has worked for me, both when I first started running and when I came back to it after long breaks during pregnancy and post-delivery. I'd really recommend running as a great way to improve fitness and to help prepare yourself in the best possible way for whatever you might encounter!

Week 3 : Begin with a brisk 5 minute walk then two repetitions of 90 seconds of running, 90 seconds of walking, 3 minutes of running, 3 minutes of walking.

Grr Argh!

This week's plan seemed like quite a jump from the plans of Weeks 1 and 2. Gone are the days of doing more walking than running. We're getting serious now.

What really stood out to me this week was the insidious little voice that suddenly appeared in my head and started to tell me how easy it would be to quit. "This is hard". "You're finding it tough". "You can't do this". "You could just quit".

From experience, I know how easy it can be to dwell on those poisonous little darts of negativity that creep into your mind, and before you know it, you've talked yourself out of either starting a project or carrying on with one. I can definitely be my own worst enemy and I didn't want that to happen this time.

So I shared the murmurings with my husband and acknowledged I was thinking about giving up. Giving them a voice out loud took them out of my head and I found I could look at them more objectively. This, along with the fact I can be a stubborn old mare when I want to be, helped me realise these thoughts weren't real; they weren't the truth of the situation, just an attempt to sabotage myself.

And just like that, the voice has gone.

I did my 3 runs.

I'm back in the game baby.

I have a brand, shiny new blogger for your delectation today!

Ed is a proud dad of 1 oversized and amazingly cute 8 month old baby boy. (He really is cute by the way - check him out in Ed's profile picture and read more about him in this post here).

Ed is a brand new daddy blogger, having only just started his blog The Daddy Adventure on 15 April 2012. His other half also blogs over at The Mummy Adventure where you can find more cute pics of baby Dylan to coo over!

You can find Ed on twitter here and his other half Bex can be found on twitter here. Go show them both some blogging love.

In his own words "I am 28 and plan to live forever". Now that's a plan.

As a Dad, I know the importance of living forever.  And as I haven't yet taken out any kind of life cover I have to be well prepared for all things that come my way, to ensure I don't bite the dust (dust is largely made up of dead skin.... mmm tasty dead skin...).

The rise of zombies is something that has been picking up pace over the last decade.  As with most virus related illnesses, it has a snowballing effect.  The more people that get the virus, the more people there are to spread the virus.  And as you know, catching the zombie virus is a lot worse than getting flu (with the exception of man flu which is the worst illness in the world). 

As with flu, there is a peak period every year where it spreads faster.  Every June there are hoards of zombies passing through on what can only be seen as some kind of pilgrimage through Canterbury.  Proof of this is easily found on youtube and google (search 'canterbury zombie').

So the end is nigh, and much nigher than you think.  By my recent calculations (I have a scientific calculator!) I estimate that this June there will be a big jump in the zombie population, however the following June is when the nutella sausages hit the fan!  You have 14 months to prepare.  You have been warned.

There are many thoughts on the effects of zombies on society as a whole.  Zombies, as with all humans, will benefit greatly from the human rights act (which they are rightly entitled to).  You should not be prejudice against zombies, just as you should not be racist.  Don't be racist.  Don't be zombiest.  There are recent cases that have shown some zombies are hard workers, and can be kept in a similar way as a pet.  One example of this is Billy Connolly.

Other zombies are very athletic and some of them will be pushing for gold in the olympics this summer.  Many of the extras from the film 28 days later are very good sprinters.  Usain Bolt has denied recent rumours that he too is a zombie.

Some zombies are also full of charm, and are good at politics.  Look how successful Boris Johnson has become.  A true idol for all zombies.

However, as with the youth of today, the majority of zombies are smelly, loud, obnoxious, and hang around in the middle of the street at all times of the day trying to chew on people.  These antisocial zombies are the ones you will need to be careful around.  Here are a few tips on how to survive in a world where zombies share our streets.

1 - Carry weapons.  Any weapon that can do serious bludgeoning to the head is good, such as a mace, or perhaps a baseball bat.  Weapons that can decapitate are good.  But please ensure you have had training by a professional before using such weapons, as you may injure yourself.  Guns are effective, but they are expensive to purchase and maintain.  Again, please have training to use such weapons, as you wouldn't want to miss and shoot your mum in the face.  She would not be best pleased, would she?

2 - Get fit.  Its embarrassing being outrun by a zombie, as well as fatal.  Like the host of this site, you may want to embark on a self improvement program such as the couch to 5k challenge.  I have recently tried this, and found it much quicker and effective to use transport (see how I've got on with my own fitness regime here).  Running 5k is not a pleasant experience.  Always have your car keys in your pocket, or your bicycle near by.  Never go out without them. 

3 - Barricade yourself at home.  Alternatively, you may decide getting fit is not for you.  In which case please hire a handyman to border up your windows and doors.  Solid wood and metal is preferable.

4 - If you have any elderly relatives, it is recommended that you call them before visiting.  The elderly are very susceptible to viruses such as the zombie virus.  If you turn up unannounced, it can be very hard to tell if they have the virus, as elderly people share many of the same symptoms.  You don't want to find yourself in an awkward situation where you may need to shoot your own mum, like Simon Pegg had to.

5 - If you have any children, you should educate them to say no to zombies.  Please keep your child on a leash at all time.  A scared child can often react badly to seeing a zombie, and you do not want them to run in to the road from fright.

For more detailed information on the symptoms of the zombie virus, please contact your local health service.

Remember that zombies are slow.  They cannot swim, but equally they cannot drown.  So being in a boat is a fairly safe place.  Just ensure you are not in shallow waters. 

I will be panic buying bread and milk from May 2013, and moving on to a yacht.  I suggest you do the same.

Bon voyage, humans!

Today's guest post comes from K J S, aka Funky Wellies, who is enjoying life in Germany; her adoptive country.

Married to Sexy Hubby, she has two beautiful daughters, a rabbit, a Mediterranean temper and a sense of humour.

She is currently working as a freelance writer, social media & MarCom consultant while keeping her blog up to date and writing her first first - well, almost - novel.

K J S is passionate about many things in life, including but not limited to:

 

Writing

Reading

Travelling

Laughing with family and friends

Italian cars

Gastronomy

Chocolate and good wines

The music of Bon Jovi

Being silly

Dressing up or down

Trying to overcome a phobia of frogs and toads

Surprising the love of her life in many little and big ways.

K J S blogs here at Funky Wellies' Random Thoughts and you can also find her on twitter here.

I have decided to set myself a personal challenge every year. Something to achieve that requires work, training and determination. Something that I have never done before. And this year's challenge turned out to be running a race, thanks to a friend of mine suggesting to sign up for a ten kilometre event. To actually register, train for it and do it.

Now I enjoy sport. I go to the gym, cycle and swim, but I always saw myself as a "Sunday runner", up for a quick jogging session, but not really stretching myself. This challenge would change my mindset for sure.

I found a proper training programme on the Internet and started in January. Things were going well, running had started to grow on me and I was looking forward to my training sessions, until a series of happenings made me feel like the odds were against me.

First, we had a seemingly never-ending cold - or should I saw freezing - wave. Down to minus five, I was still running. When temperatures went down to minus ten or twelve, I threw in the towel. Two weeks later, it started getting warmer again, I went running once and then got sick with a flu-like virus that held me in its grasp for three weeks. I had two short training sessions on days when I felt better, but that was all. And finally, as I was recovered at last, I fell and hurt my ankle. Another two weeks without sport.

By then I only had a month left to train and I was not so sure I would be up to it, but there was no way that I was going to renounce - yes, I am stubborn like that! So on Sunday April 15, I put on my fab sport shoes and accessories - see my post here - and I joined my friend and our fellow runners at the starting gate.

More than seven hundred people joined into one of the three races: the kiddies one, the five kilometres or the ten kilometres. We were blessed with almost perfect weather, a mix of sun and clouds with a temperature of about fourteen degress. It was quite windy at times - not nice when you are running against it - but as it turned cold and rainy later on that day, we considered ourselves very lucky!

Did I complete the race? Yes, and although I did feel my ankle - which was properly supported by one of those ankle support bandages - there was no real plan. I certainly did not arrive first, but I did not finish last either, which I found was an achievement in itself! I also improved my time by twenty-two minutes compared to when I ran the ten kilometres as part of the training and was thrilled about it. My friend arrived a good ten minutes before me, and as I had repeatedly told her that she was under no circumstances to wait for slower me, I was very pleased that she went for it.

Here are a couple of photos that my most fervent supporter, namely Sexy Hubby, took just before the race started:

I am very proud of myself and will probably do this again. But this time it will of course not be my yearly challenge.....In fact, I already know what 2013 will be!

Week 2 : Begin with a brisk 5 minutes walk then alternate 90 seconds of running with 2 minutes of walking, for a total of 20 minutes

See how happy and content this cat is? That's me, that is.

I'm 2 weeks into my Grr Argh! Challenge and I'm feeling more energised than I have in a long time. The progression from running for 60 seconds to 90 seconds wasn't tough and I was surprised to find I'm already a lot more capable and fitter than I was a couple of weeks ago. I even added in a couple of extra workouts this week; a short but intense circuit of core strength exercises and a 30 minute power walk with the dog. It just goes to show exercise really does breed energy.

But by far the biggest transformation has taken place in my head. I mentioned in my previous post "Beginnings" that I'd started feeling happier and more relaxed. Well, that's moved on a step and I've found myself experiencing a constant low-level buzz of motivation; a desire to do more than collapse on the settee and zone out in front of the television after the boys are in bed. The only downside to this is I'm struggling to know how to fill those few precious child-free hours in the evening.

I have a few tv programmes I absolutely cannot miss and outside of that, I can normally be found with my head in a book but I'd like to have a go at something new; something that requires me to engage mind and body and which I can put down at the end of a night with a real sense of achievement. Some of the recommendations I've had from twitterland are:

Macrame or extreme potholing from Trifle Is My Nemesis

Hang-gliding from Claire Deeming

Stalking from Swallowsbird

Gardening or Terence Stamp collecting from SAHDandproud

Ninja pirate from Unsednamed

Quite a mix of suggestions, underlining I really should have set out clear parameters when I tweeted for ideas for a hobby!

So, what do you do in your free time? How do you relax? And do you have a hobby (or two!) you can recommend? I'd love to hear from you.

Back at the beginning of February, I gave you the power to choose my new hairstyle. After the poll closed and the votes were counted, life (and 2 poorly children) managed to get in the way so I didn't actually make it to the hairdresser's until yesterday.

Are you ready to see the result?

Before:

After:

The hairdresser must have cut off a good 6 inches of hair and it felt like a weight lifted from my shoulders when she did it. I feel lighter, brighter and much more fun.

This is actually the sleek and straightened version as styled by my hairdresser but honestly? I'm never going to style my hair this way. Not because I don't like it but because I don't have a hairdryer or the patience to do it! Instead, I'll be making the most of the layers she put in and I'll be rocking a much more out-of-bed messy look.

Next time, I think I'll get her to take an extra inch off the bottom so my hair stops either at chin-level or just below it; a bit more "bob" like. Of course that's assuming I manage to get back there in a few months rather than in 16!

The voting results were as follows:

Short and shaggy: 17 votes

Shoulderlength: 9 votes

Long and layered: 5 votes

I'm so excited to introduce you to the first of a series of guest posts that I'll be bringing to you throughout the course of my Grr Argh! Challenge. This post is from the ever-lovely Claire Deeming; one of the first people I followed on twitter after I started this blog and with whom I've had many a conversation about various tv programmes including "The Walking Dead" and "American Horror Story".

In her own words, Claire is "co-creator & keeper of 2 small children, gallavanter, bit of a rubbish SAHM as incapable of staying in the house, lapsed blogger and future survivor of the zombie apocalypse".

After you've read her post, go and follow Claire on twitter and give her a good prodding until she updates her blog; Chapters of Claire. Also, read the very first thoughts she had about the zombie apocalypse in this post here.

I hope you enjoy Claire's writing as much as I do!

Know how keeping fit and living clean adds years to your life? Well you're going to be spending those years in a post-apocalyptic wasteland populated by hordes of The Undead. Well done, you.

On the other hand maybe you spent the non-apocalyptic years troughing cake, guzzling wine, and sitting on the sofa so much that the cushions have been left with a permanent indentation the exact size and shape of your bum cheeks ...

Either way, the zombies are here and the non-savvy are about to become lunch. You need to play smart but you also need to live smart.

Keep fit, eat right, live longer.

Look the part

Many forms of exercise are about having the right kit. You wouldn't play football in a wetsuit and flippers, would you? The zombie apocalypse is no exception. Keep it simple - you don't need a fashion montage played out to 80's power chords (a training montage is, however, essential) - but stuff the budget and loot the best stuff you can lay your hands on.

A good pair of running shoes is the first item on your list. Realistically how much running am I going to be doing?, I hear you ask.

Lots. Lots and lots and lots.

Take heart, you don't need to outrun the many hundreds of thousands of reanimated corpses all hoping to have a chomp on your tasty bits. Yay! Good news! You just need to outrun the people around you. Save your partner and your kids, even save your parents and siblings if you can, but how attached are you really to Great Aunt Mildred? If the answer is 'not very' then make damn sure you can run faster than her because while the walkers are enjoying a mid-jog snack you're going to be enjoying a quick get-away. The right running shoes are pivotal in this. Yes, you'll look a bit like a prat, especially if they're the luminous chunky affairs favoured by sullen teens, but you'll be a living prat.

Second on the list is body armour.

I know, right? Where the hell do you loot body armour from? You don't. You make it.

Bet you're wishing you'd watched more episodes of Blue Peter now.

Resist the urge to coat yourself in sticky-back plastic, it won't help your mobility and will just annoy the zombies when they have to unwrap you. No, your cobbled together body armour needs to be two things - lightweight and hard to bite through. I've done some extensive research on this ...

... okay, so I've mooched around the house for twenty minutes experimentally biting various objects ...

You need layers of clothing, around four or five seems to be the optimum number, and the top layer should be some kind of nylon-polyester blend - check Great Aunt Mildred's wardrobe. Any less than four layers and it's too weak, more than five and it's too difficult to move. It'll probably still hurt to get bitten but it's less likely to break the skin which means it won't infect you.

Third on the list is a scarf to protect your neck. Zombies always go for the neck, don't become another mindless statistic. Throw some wristbands on too, after the neck they go for wrists. Not so much the face though so do what you like with that.

Now that you're dressed in your four layers of synthetic fabrics, day-glo trainers, and natty woolen scarf it's time to move on to the next step:

Feeding the machine

Your body is a precision machine of something or other. It's a temple where muscles come to worship and exercise is king or however it goes.

I'd check Google for an inspirational quote about looking after one's body but it's the zombie apocalypse, Google is gone and nobody likes a pedant.

Your main activities for the foreseeable future are going to be running and hiding. Sometimes you'll shake it up a bit by hiding and then running. You might find time for some zombie slaying and the occasional narrow escape. If 'The Walking Dead' is to be believed you will also find the time and inclination to have sex with both your partner and your partner's best friend.

You'll be getting hungry at some point then.

High energy, nutritious meals that can be prepared quickly, quietly, and without delicious-yet-zombie-attracting-smells are your friend. The Simpsons once said 'you don't win friends with salad' but you do get to live longer when the world ends. Eat salad and for desert have a banana, bananas are high energy. Don't worry about fibre or looking after your gut or keeping regular. It's the zombie apocalypse, you're going to be so scared that you'll have no trouble keeping regular.

Salad is easy to carry, easy to prepare, has no aroma, and it can be foraged. Those fields that no one is harvesting are bloody full of salad so no matter where you decide to hide there'll be food available, plus salad keeps you slim and we all know it's the tubby slowpoke who gets eaten first. Save the BBQs and fry-ups for when you've secured a reasonably permanent stronghold with a defensible perimeter.

On the subject of BBQs and fry-ups, avoid eating anything that used to be alive before it was killed and chopped into food. Think about it. The zombies are reanimated dead people infected with whatever it is that's made them reanimate. It therefore stands to reason that anything else dead could also be infected. Imagine how much of a joke you'll be to the other survivors if you evade a zombie bite but are then infected by your celebratory hamburger. It's best to just steer clear.

Salad good, meat bad, glad that one has been cleared up and we can move on to:

Keeping fit

Never before has it been so vital to stay in shape. Not only do you need to be able to run (or at least outpace unpopular relatives) you also need to be agile enough to climb stuff, slim enough to squeeze into the smallest of hiding places, and fit enough to do it all on a diet of salad and bananas whilst wearing umpteen layers of clothing complete with scarf and stupid trainers.

Stretching is important before running for any sort of distance, last thing you want is for your hamstring to seize up part way through an epic chase because those zombies will not sit back and wait while you frantically massage it back to working order. Oh no sirree, they heard as far as 'ham' and started moving even faster. They probably won't allow any time before the chase for you to limber up either.

It would seem the best solution is to keep yourself in a state of constant readiness. Whenever you're not running you should do stretching exercises in preparation for when it's time to start running again. You'll be tired, loot some Pro-Plus, and the rest of your group will think you're a bit weird but who'll be laughing maniacally when they're struck down with a leg cramp while you're jittering your way over the hills and far away? You, that's who - and that's a sure sign that you need to lower your intake of Pro-Plus.

When the early days of the apocalypse come to a close and your survival becomes less run and more hide you can ease off on the stretches. They're difficult to do in confined spaces and the other survivors (the ones you didn't leave behind as zombie fodder) might decide to throw you to the walkers after you've done one too many squat lunges at 2am. Stay on top of the running though, even if they do decide to sling you out the nearest door or window for doing laps of the 6ft by 8ft room all twenty of you are huddled in at least you'll be able to run away from the zombies.

So in summary: you should eat right, exercise, and wear appropriate clothing so that when the zombies attack you can continue to eat right, exercise, and wear appropriate clothing .......

Or you could just eat, wear, and do whatever you want and hope that the zombie who eats you chokes.