Irregular Choice Toy Story: You Are A Toy!* Review

I'm excited to bring you the first of my Irregular Choice Toy Story in-depth reviews. Right now, I'm travelling back from London, having attended the Carnaby Street VIP launch last night. Can't quite believe I'm writing that!! I wanted to blog about it beforehand, as I'm sure you'll realise it's a big deal for me (with my M.E.) to get out of the house, but I haven't had time. Hopefully in due course, I can share all the details. So, today we begin with the new character heel(s), in You Are A Toy!* ankle boots.

Irregular Choice: Disney Toy Story Box

I feel I should start these posts with "howdy partner" or something similar! The new Irregular Choice Toy Story collection is now live, so I hope if you're reading this, you're getting on well with queueing/buying! I know how stressful it can be!  I have a little something to keep you going in the meantime and I really think IC have outdone themselves with this beautiful packaging.
So, this is the beautiful box the Disney Toy Story footwear will come in. My jaw hit the floor when I saw it and I've been dying to show you it! The biggest reason being, it's not a traditional, signature IC, drawer-style box, but a lifty-lid one! Star Wars is the only other Disney collection to feature a non-drawer box and I adored that one too; it was like an old-fashioned doll box with the window bit. Anyway, this one has a similar theme, it appears to me that they wanted it to feel like a toy storage chest. It has that exciting "ooh what goodies are inside?" vibe to me.

Irregular Choice Disney Toy Story: Teaser 4

The launch date is almost upon us. Just 24 hours to go until Irregular Choice release their latest Disney collection, Pixar's Toy Story. Over the past few weeks, we've been teased with a light up bag, glitter aliens and brand new character heels. Today, it's the turn of (my personal favourite style), yee-haw, cowgirl Jessie!

Irregular Choice Disney Toy Story: Teaser 3

It's hard to believe that next week at this time, the latest Irregular Choice Disney collection will be released. I feel like it was just yesterday that the announcement was made. That collection, will of course be Pixar's Toy Story. If you've missed that and the previous two teasers, then you can find them here and here. Before that, take a peek at another item that may be winging it's way onto your wishlist (no apologies for 'winging')!

Irregular Choice Disney Toy Story: Teaser 2

Last week, I teased you with two brand new character heels (Woody and Buzz) from the new Irregular Choice/Disney Toy Story collection, along with patterned tights. This week, I have another couple of items to reveal, which I think you'll be very excited about.

Irregular Choice Disney Toy Story: Teaser 1

Hot off the news on Wednesday that Pixar's Toy Story will be the 8th Irregular Choice Disney collection, I have the first teasers for you.

Irregular Choice Disney: Announcement & My Collection

Irregular Choice announced their 8th Disney collection today, Toy Story!
Coming soon, this is the 6th character partnership we've seen (both Star Wars and Alice In Wonderland had 2 waves) and a collaboration with Pixar for the very first time. I really appreciate how diverse the ranges have been thus far. As "irregular" as Irregular Choice may be, they still manage to be very inclusive and aim for something for everyone in my opinion. The Disney umbrella itself is a broad one, so if you are a fan, that doesn't necessarily mean every story or character appeals to you. Star Wars for example I've never watched and have no interest in, yet there were shoes I liked.  I'm not the biggest Muppets fan, but that collection was my absolute favourite and I wanted everything from it.  So far Irregular Choice have chosen classic characters like Mickey & Minnie, a traditional Disney princess in the form of Cinderella. Something a little quirkier with Alice, a giant stand-alone franchise like Star Wars, then childlike and crazy with the most recent Muppets. So there's been a wide choice and it'll be interesting to see their take on a more 'modern', Pixar film.

M.E. On: Giving Up Blogging & Where Do I Go From Here?

This is my umpteenth attempt re-writing this, I've been coming back to it for months and indeed there's a very similar one lurking in my drafts folder from February last year. That in itself is very telling of the theme of this post, I'm struggling. I'm struggling to blog, I'm struggling to share my 'life' on social media. I'm struggling to read or reply to the hundreds of emails that fill my inbox every week (sooo overwhelming), I'm struggling and my body is letting me know that. We've had this conversation before (me and my body and you and I); I think it was one of my earliest M.E. On posts, where I said I'd no longer apologise for missing deadlines, falling behind with work or not doing something I said I'd do and yet a couple of years on, I've fallen into the same cycle and trap of saying "yes" to everything and thinking I can work like a 'normal' person. I can't, so why do I keep pretending I can? In a way, I'm pleased my body has decided to give up. I feel like saying "good on you, you show her she can't do it"! On the otherhand I feel incredibly disappointed and maybe even slightly pathetic, that I went through that horrendous year of gallbladder issues whilst continuing to blog, but now I'm "better", I'm not managing. That's ridiculous though. I shouldn't need another reason besides battling M.E. to find blogging and all that comes with it, hard. It's an extremely debilitating illness and that should be enough. Part of me taking this much time away (and it's definitely the biggest part) is that I'm simply not able for it. I really do have to stress that and I don't want this post to detract from the fact that the physical issues are the biggest and indeed the root cause of everything that I'm about to write. You simply cannot blog when you're in a lot of pain or sleeping. So please take the time to read my (slightly shorter) post here on the added health issues I've been having this year (it'll open in a new tab, so you won't lose your place here) as well as dealing with my usual M.E. symptoms.

There is however, a small part of me that's struggling with motivation or attitude. If I'm really honest I've felt relief that I've been able to wake up each day knowing I didn't have to blog. I didn't have to paste a smile on my face (why do I do that behind a computer screen?) and think up something witty or creative to write or force myself to take photos or edit or promote this and that. I didn't have to do it and I was so relieved. If I were reading that about someone else, I'd say they were better off giving it up if they weren't enjoying and it sounds like I'm not enjoying it. I'm not sure that's how I really feel though, certainly not wholly. The truth is I've been chasing my tail for years, so it's not come as a surprise to me that it's reached breaking point. I chatted with my family a few months ago about the prospect of giving up blogging entirely and they were devastated, absolutely gutted. It came out of nowhere for them. I think the biggest issue for them is, I wouldn't have a reason or purpose to get up each day if I wasn't blogging, as outside of blogging I'm capable of very little. They know it's a lot of work, but I don't think until you're doing it, you can really grasp all it involves. It's taken up every waking hour of my day, 7 days a week for years now and while nobody held a gun to my head and forced me to do it, I have to put in those hours in order to get the work done, because I'm not a "normal" person. It doesn't come easy to me and I never realised how much of a task it would become or how much my health would deteriorate in this time. Blogging has changed a lot over the last few years and there's so much expected of you now, which is a tremendous pressure and one I often don't feel up to fulfilling.

M.E. On: My Health This Year

Disappointment is how I'd sum up the feeling of 2018 so far. Towards the end of last year, I was tiring more easily, but put it down to doing more than usual during the festive period. It had also been an eventful 2017, with the diagnosis of gallstones and eventual removal of my gallbladder in June after 7 months of agonising, random attacks. It's no surprise that I spent a lot of the year in clinics and hospitals, which was a big increase on the activity I was accustomed to. Plus there was the after-effects of an attack, which I felt for several days and all the worry that went with not knowing what was going on (before diagnosis) or when I'd next fall ill. As well as physically, mentally, it took it's toll over the year. A year of worry and non-stop medical appointments is no fun for anyone. Besides this, the surgeon had warned me pre-surgery that going ahead with the operation could worsen my M.E. permanently. This was a big shock to me and one of the scariest things to hear and although on that day, I was determined I wasn't leaving without agreeing to be operated on, it's been in the back of my mind since he said it. I know I couldn't have continued living the way I was with gallstones, but had I just made a decision that would change my life for the worse, forever?