As a Thirty – Something woman, I have seen plenty when out with the girls. I have also learnt my fair share of tips for staying safe on a girls night out. So today, I am sharing some of them. Read on to find out how I keep myself and my friends safe.

Tips For Staying Safe On A Girls Night Out

It was back in 1999 when I first started going out drinking. I was only 15 then, but looked much older. By the year 2000, I was out clubbing and partying almost every Friday, Saturday and Sunday night. Before long, I witnessed someone slipping something into another girl’s drink. From that moment onwards, I never EVER left my own (or my friend’s) drinks unattended.

Never Leave Drinks Unattended

Women never seem to go to the bathroom alone, when out with friends. So I (like so many other women) tried to go with a friend, whenever I needed to powder my nose. I was obsessed with making sure my drink was safe though, so if I was out with just one friend, we’d break the “go to the bathroom together” rule, in order to keep our drinks (and our table) safe.

Safe Word

My next piece of advice is to have a safe word which you share with friends and family members. If they ever phone or text you and drop the word into the conversation, you ask them if you can join them (to safely escort them home). Should they say yes, you go and meet them – no matter where they are. If they say no, you phone them back 5 minutes later with an “excuse” as to why they need to leave.

My friends and I always used the safe word Trifle. So you could say “I’m a trifle drunk” or such like. I’ve never had to use it myself, but did rescue my friend from a truly awful date, once. She text me saying, “I’m a trifle drunk – love you x” and then replied no when I asked if I could join her. So I rang her and said “Ben’s just thrown me out – please can I come to yours”?

She was so grateful, and was in a cab, escaping the date of doom within 5 minutes of my call. I’ve written before about staying safe when dating – so be sure to read that post too.

Emergency Funds And Keys

When I was 18, I was out with my sister, and my handbag was stolen. The club we were in was massive, and I couldn’t find her. My phone, door keys and purse were gone. I didn’t know her mobile number, so couldn’t even reverse the charges to her. We didn’t live together, and my parents were on holiday, so I was home alone.

In the end, I went to a local taxi rank and explained what had happened. I offered to give them my gold bracelet as a “deposit” until I could return with the fare the next day. They agreed. I was taken home and given a receipt with the information on about my bracelet. When I got home, I had to wake up the next door neighbour to get the spare key.

Now, I have a mini key safe in the garden, which has a spare set of keys and an emergency £20 note inside. I haven’t had to use the money yet, but have locked myself out more times than I care to admit, so it’s been money well spent.

Have A “Boyfriend” On Standby

If you’re in a nightclub with the girls, it’s inevitable you’ll get hit on sooner or later. 99% of the time, this was fine and you could brush off the chancers with “I’ve got a boyfriend, sorry“.

One time, in a taxi queue, a guy wouldn’t believe me, so I phoned my friend, “D”. We went to Drama class together, and he thankfully, he realised quickly that some improvisation was required, when I said “Hey babe. You’re on speaker phone. I’m in the queue now waiting for a taxi. The guy next to me doesn’t believe I have a boyfriend though – please can you just tell him I’m on my way to yours“. He replied with a quick, no nonsense… “Ok. Hey Dude. Sorry but she’s spoken for.” 

After that, we both added each other to our phones with “babe” as the names, so we could “show” annoying pests that we were spoken for. I can imagine a couple of selfies would have the same effect now though.

So what about you? Have you got any tips for staying safe on a girls night out? Feel free to share them in the comments.

Finally, I”m linking this up to day 11 of Blogtober, as the prompt ” Girls just want to have fun fits nicely.

It’s day 9 of Blogtober, and today’s prompt is Imagine. So it seemed only fair to share which I’d choose if I had to give up one thing or another. Read on for my answers to the This or That Quiz – And get to know me a little better.

Welcome to the this or that quiz! 

All good quizzes need rules, so here they are! Firstly, you get 3 passes. You can use passes to say “both” or “none”. That’s it. Go forth and enjoy my this or that quiz! 

Round One

1). Cookies or cake? Cake

2). Cat or dog? Dog

3). Computer games or video games? Oooh though one. I love both. 

4). Pop music or Rock music? Rock

5). Stuff animals or dolls? Another tough one. Stuffed animals.

6). Pancakes or waffles? Pancakes

7). Hot chocolate or coffee? Coffee

8). Morning or evening? Evening. 

9). Day or night? GAH! Day – just. 

10). Text message or call? TEXT TEXT TEXT 

11). Library or museums? Museum

12). French or Spanish? Spanish 

13). Summer or winter? Summer

14). Theatre or cinema? Theatre

15). Love or money? Love 

16). Book or movie? Book

17). Tea or coffee? Tea

18). Chocolate or vanilla? Chocolate 

19). Coca-Cola or Pepsi? Neither really but if I have to choose… coke 

20). Rain or snow? Rain

Round Two

21). Car or motorcycle? Oooh toughie! I was obsessed by motorbikes as a kid (thanks to Grease 2). But I think on a safety / practicality level, cars wins now I’m a grown-up. 

22). Comedy or horror? Comedy

23). Hamburgers or hot dogs? I’m veggie, so Veggie Burger? 

24). Paper or plastic? Paper

25). Boat or plane? Plane

26). Painting or drawing? Drawing

27). Reading or writing? Reading – Writing is my job now so down time wins! 

28). Singing or dancing? Singing – I never stop! 

29). T-Shirts or sweaters? Sweaters

30). Flowers or trees? Trees – every time.

31). Phone or computer? Phone

32). Brown or black hair? BLACK! 

33). Superman or Batman? Batman – Heck, my kids are known as Batman and Robyn. 

34). Doctor Who or the Walking Dead? Dr Who. Not seen The Walking Dead.

35). Lions or Bears? Lions

36). Milk or juice? Juice

37). Gold or silver? Silver (or white gold).

38). 50’s or 80’s music? 50’s. My Mum was a huge Patsy Cline fan, and I’m a sucker for rock n roll. 

39). Google or Bing? Google

40). Frozen yogurt or ice cream? ICE CREAM! 

Round Three

41). Blue or green eyes? Mine are almost green. So Green lol. 

42). Witches or wizards? Wizards

43). Fire or ice? Fire

44). Straight or curly hair? Straight

45). Fruits or vegetables? Veggies

46). Burgers or tacos? Burgers

47). Roses or daisies? Daisies

48). Pandas or whales? Pandas

49). McDonald’s or Burger King? McDonalds

50). Books or magazines? Books

51). Circles or squares? Circles

52). Ketchup or mustard? Ketchup

53). Money or fame? Neither drives me, but one is necessary, so Money. 

54). Piercings or tattoos? I have neither these days. Piercings

55). Puzzles or board games? Board Games

56). Living room or bedroom? Bedroom (I’m lazy)

57). Sandals or sneakers? Trainers

58). Apples or oranges? Oranges 

59). Bagels or toast? Toast (with a mug of tea on the side, please)! 

60). Weird or crazy? Weird.

Round 4

61). Skates or bike? Bike

62). Go skiing or snowboarding? Neither lol. Can I just build a snowman?

63). Watch or play sports? Watch

64). Swim in a pool or in the sea? Sea

65). Sweet or salty? Sweet

66). Cars or trucks? Cars

67). Leather or lace? Lace

68). Steak or chicken? Still Veggie! So Chicken pre-slaughter please 😀

69). Alaska or Hawaii? Hawaii

70). Shower or tub? Bath every time! 

71). TV Shows or movies? TV shows

72). Breakfast or dinner? Tea 😉 

73). Bananas or apples? Bananas

74). Facebook or Twitter? Facebook

75). What’s up or Viber? Not got a clue what Viber is, so WhatsApp 

76). Mountains or beach? BEACH

77). Digital watch or analog? Analogue

78). Freedom or hope? Wow, this is deep. Hope? You can hope for freedom, then?

79). Alice in Wonderland or Robinson Crusoe? Alice In Wonderland

80). Snow White or Cinderella? Cinderella

Round 5

81). Sitting or standing? Sitting (still lazy)

82). Comedy or drama? Comedy

83). Being too warm or too cold? Warm

84). Pasta or pizza? PIZZA IS LIFE

85). Online shopping or in-person shopping? Online. Always

86). Writing poetry or reading poetry? Writing

87). Wild animals or domestic animals? Oh! This is far too hard! Domestic because my dogs save my sanity on a daily basis.

88). Family or friends? Family – Close friends are basically family anyway, right??

89). Scooby Doo or Tom and Jerry? Tom and Jerry

90). Spiring or Autumn (Fall)? Autumn

91). Chinese or Italian food? Italian

92). Dogs or cats? Dogs

93). Tea or Coffee? Tea

94). Lie in or early start? Lie in

95). Friends or couple holiday? Couple

96). Rich or Loved? Loved

97). Clean home or make memories? Make memories – always!

98). Jeans or a dress? Jeans

99). Pub / bar or club? Pub

100). Pie or Salad? Pie!

So there you have it – A little insight into how I tick! I hope you learnt a thing or three about me when reading my this or that quiz! Were there any surprises?

Feel free to copy and paste my this or that quiz, and do it yourself! Link back to me as the creator though 😀

It is no secret I am a huge fan of the Theatre. I love singing along to musical soundtracks, but you can’t beat the thrill of seeing a show live. With that in mind, I wanted to share my must see UK Theatre Shows of 2019. The list contains several different style of performances – not just musicals! Read on to find out more!

Must see UK Theatre Shows of 2019

Here we go then – in no particular order…

Grief Is The Thing With Feathers – LONDON

This is on at the Barbican Theatre, London from March to 13th April. The show stars Cillian Murphy (Better known as Peaky Blinders’ Tommy). I love quirky shows, which make you think, and this definitely sounds like it’ll do that. Cillian plays both a bereaved father and an imaginary crow (come counsellor) in this adaptation of Max Porter’s novel, of the same name.

Unfortunately for me, the show is sold out, so I don’t think I’ll be seeing it any time soon. I’m crossing everything it comes back soon though! I”m sure I’m not the only one who would put it on their must see UK Theatre Shows of 2019 list!

Blood Brothers – Salford

I studied this play as part of my English GCSEs, and was gutted I didn’t get to go to see the theatre production with my classmates. (I lived out of town, and would have missed the last bus home). Since then, I have been fascinated with the story. Blood Brothers is at The Lowry from the 9th to the 13th of April.

The play was written by Willy Russell, and resolves around twins who were separated at birth. The brothers grow up on the opposite sides of the tracks, and when they meet again, things spiral for them both!  

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child – London

I am a massive Harry Potter fangirl, so when I heard about Harry Potter And The Cursed Child back in 2016, I was desperate to see it. Unfortunately, tickets are like gold dust, so I haven’t managed it yet. (I’d need to stay overnight to fit in both shows at The Palace Theatre in one day, too). You need to watch part one and part two, so it’s a whole day thing! The show has no end date, so you can book up to September for now, with more dates available to book soon.

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I have read the screenplay, so I know what to expect, at least! The show is the 8th instalment in the Harry Potter series, and follows Harry and Ginny’s youngest son Albus’ experiences at Hogwarts. It’s definitely worth a watch – if you can snag tickets!

Dirty Dancing – Manchester

April seems to be an amazing month for UK Theatre. Dirty Dancing is on at the Palace Theatre from 22nd to 27th April. The show is packed with the same music, emotion and sexy dancing as the film.

Dirty Dancing the musical has already been by millions across the world. The musical follows the classic story of Baby & Johnny – Though I’m sure you knew that already!

Mary Poppins – London

Who doesn’t love Mary Poppins? She will be arriving in London’s Prince Edward Theatre in October, and the wind won’t change until March 2020.

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The show is described as having, “dazzling choreography, incredible effects and unforgettable songs“. Zizi Strallen is returning to play the title role, following her massive success on the show’s recent sell-out international tour.

PHEW! So there we have it! My 5 must see UK Theatre Shows of 2019! Which shows are on your list? Motherhood The Real Deal shared some ideas recently, too!

Finally, if you enjoyed this post, why not check out more of my travel content!

Last week, I shared some Harry Potter Halloween Ideas my daughter and I were going to do, ready for Halloween. I said in that blog post that I would share the final results in another blog post – so I am doing that here, today!

Harry Potter Halloween Ideas…

Floating Candles

These were by far the most time consuming of the Harry Potter Halloween ideas. The first stage involved painting 8 toilet roll tubes white. We were using poster paint and gave each candle two thin coats. Each coat tool around 90 minutes to dry. (We did the other activities in between).

Once each tube was painted, I set to work dripping wax style drips down the side of each tube, using my glue gun. This took around an hour to do – including drying time.

Next, I measured how far into the tube the LED candle would go and threaded some fishing line through at that point.

Once this was done, I stuck some sellotape inside the tube to create a “shelf” for the LED candle to sit on. Once hung up, the candle looked like the above image. The thread needs to be exactly central to make sure your candles stand perfectly straight. Mine are all on a bit of an angle, but I think that adds to the spookiness.

Pencil Wands

I think these are my favourite of the 3 Harry Potter Halloween ideas we did. I’d highly recommend making loads of these wands in advance of a Harry Potter themed party, as kids love painting them!

We went to Draigcon on Sunday and my daughter decorated her own wand like this, using nail polish. I thought it was brilliant, so we did the same.

Firstly, I attacked ten black pencils with my trusty glue gun. Once dry, they all looked different. Some had rippled affects, some were spirals and others looked like a spider had thrown up on them…

(Note the glue on my leggings). Once each pencil had dried, we painted them all using my old nail polishes. The final result can be seen below. I love these and think they look really effective.

Ferrero Rocher Snitches

The snitches definitely look the most like their Harry Potter film counterparts in my opinion. They were the quickest of the Harry Potter Halloween ideas to make.

Firstly, I folded a sheet of paper into quarters lengthways Next, I folded it into quarters, widthways. Once this was done, I drew a leaf template, making sure I left a thick gap at the centre crease. I cut out, the outline, then made thin snips along the bottom edge so it looked like feathers. Once finished, I opened it all out and I was left with 8 identical pairs of snitch wings.

I took the cupcake style wrapper off each chocolate and stuck the wings onto the back, to cover the glue. I took the Ferrero Rocher sticker off the front too.

This was the final result…

I’m really happy with how they all came out. This is the candles hung outside the front door on Halloween…

Have you tried making any of these items? I’d love to know how you got on! 

This year, I am planning on getting my Hogwarts on when it comes to my Harry Potter Inspired Halloween Ideas. I have seen a few tutorials for various crafts, which I thought I’d share today. I am going to get some made on Monday and Tuesday so I can have them ready for the Trick or Treaters on Halloween. What do you think of these ideas…?

Harry Potter Inspired Halloween Ideas

When googling Harry Potter Inspired Halloween Ideas, the main thing which pops up is wands and floating candles. I got so excited when I first saw these candles that I ordered the glue gun and flickering tea lights – they’ll be here today!

Monday will involve Syd and I painting loads of toilet roll tubes white! I haven’t ordered the keys as they won’t be here in time now. Despite beginning googling in August, I only ordered supplies on Saturday – oops! If the candles work well, I am going to make Syd a candle, key and snitch inspired mobile for her bedroom. I think that will look so cool!

Golden Snitches

When it comes to giving out treats on Halloween, I am always mindful of how many children can’t have sweets or chocolate. The joys of having a daughter with a dairy allergy and a diabetic husband, I guess! I’d never considered offering anything but sweets until 6 years ago.

This year, as well as the usual snack size chocolate bars in my big cauldron, I am going to pop a few golden snitches, glow sticks and magic wand pencils in.

I got the idea for the snitches from Red Ted Art – how cute are these…..

I’m super lazy though, so I think it’ll be real feather wings for ours – mostly because I have a bag of white feathers which need using anyway.

Pencil Wands

I found this tutorial for wands not so long ago, and I think they’ll be cool to offer to all of the witches and wizards who knock on. This tutorial has some fab ideas for making them on chopsticks. I’m going to use this as a rough guide for making my designs on pencils. EEK! I figured the kids can actually use them if they are pencils. (Plus they work out cheaper)!

That’s about it for now – I’ll do another post next week to let you know how it all turned out!

I’m linking this up to day 28 of Blogtober – the prompt for today is: “Arts and crafts for Halloween or Bonfire Night”. Why not check out my other Blogtober blog posts here. You can also find blog posts from other bloggers via the Big Family Chaos linky, by clicking the badge below.

Today is day 25 of Blogtober, and the prompt is Years Gone By, in honour of the Museums At Night Festival, which is happening from 25th to 27th October.

Museums At Night

The idea is that venues all around the UK open their doors at night, to give people a chance to enjoy evening events and see night time displays. You can find out more about it, and search for local events here.

I am a big fan of museums and history. Last year, I went to Heaton Park’s Heaton Hall at night, during Halloween Weekend. It was built in 1772, and sits in the largest Municipal Park in Europe. (Which, luckily for me, is right on my doorstep)! The event was a submersive, spooky play. It was brilliant!

What I’m Doing This Year

This year, my friend and I are off to Ordsall Hall, for their Halloween Ghost and History Tour. It’s happening just after the Museums at Night Festival – Monday 29th October. I am beyond excited though.

Ordsall Hall was first mentioned in the 1100’s. The building which sits in the heart of Salford now dates from Tudor times. I have blogged about Ordsall Hall several times – most recently here.

I’m really looking forward to being subjected to scary stories about the infamous White Lady who roams the hall. She is so popular, they actually have their own Ghostcams. You can watch them whenever the Hall is closed! There are several overnight ghost hunts at Ordsall Hall over the year, but I haven’t made it along to one of those yet.

When I visited Ordsall Hall recently, I found this bit of graffiti – how amazing is it to think it’s been there for over 350 years!

I’m pretty sad to see there’s nothing going on in Greater Manchester during the festival itself – maybe next year though! Salford Museum do have an event listed on 1st November, which you can check out here. I think the Victorian Street in Salford Museum would be so good as a Museums at night venue – Imagine if they did a spooky story on the street, followed by supper in the cafe? Or if Ordsall Hall did a murder mystery type of event?

Can you tell I love museums yet? Are you up to anything exciting for Halloween?

Why not check out my other Blogtober blog posts here. You can also find blog posts from other bloggers via the Big Family Chaos linky, by clicking the badge below.

It’s day 20 of Blogtober and today’s prompt is: “Ten facts about you”. I’ve decided to share ten confessions about me, rather than boring facts you’ve probably seen before.

Here goes nothing!

Ten Confessions About Me

1). Mrs Hinch makes me want to cry. I hate cleaning and naming my cloths won’t ever change that!

2). I am pretty much the messiest person I know. It drives my husband crazy. I do tidy up – eventually. Not as often as some people though.

3). 90% of my wardrobe contents don’t fit me. It ranges from size 10 to size 18. I’m a 16-18. I won’t throw them away just in case I ever get back down to those sizes again. Even though most of the smallest pieces are 8 years old, and definitely not Mum wear.

4). My car is so full of dog hairs, nobody can sit on the back seat without coming out filthy. I’m not even sorry.

5). My daughter co-slept with us until she was 2 and a half. It was hell. She wouldn’t sleep anywhere except with me of her dad.

Co-sleeping was hell, you say?

6). I talk to my dogs more than I talk to people outside of these 4 walls…. Sometimes they answer!

7). If I was given the choice between a free family holiday or 24 hours alone, I’d choose the latter.

8). I’ve never seen Star Wars! Or Cocktail!

9). I hated every second of breast feeding. It was painful, tiring, and draining.

10). I still slept with a teddy until I moved in with hubby.

There you have it – ten confessions about me! It feels good to get that lot off my chest!

Feel free to share a confession in the comments – no judgement here!

Why not check out my other Blogtober blog posts here. You can also find blog posts from other bloggers via the Big Family Chaos linky, by clicking the badge below.

Today, I am joining in with the lovely Morgana’s Little Loves linky – which is a showcase of all the things I read, watched, made, wore and heard in July.  The idea is, you take each of the headers and share your experiences from the past month (In this case, July – as I am a little late to the party)! So here goes…..

Read:

“Her Greatest Mistake“, by Sarah Simpson.

This story is told by Eve – a successful psychologist who finds herself caught up in a violent and controlling marriage. Eve has a young son to think about, and has to plan hard to finally break free from her husband.

It’s her story of survival and escape. It was really hard to read at times, but I found myself unable to put it down. The story is full of twists and turns, as well as a couple of absolute “OMG” moments! This is a work of fiction, but I still find myself thinking about it even now – weeks after I finished it.

“Coalescence” by J.C. Hannigan.

After the heaviness of Her Greatest Mistake, I wanted to get lost in an easy to read romance novel. J.C. Hannigan didn’t disappoint. I have read all of her books, and have enjoyed all of them. Personally, I wasn’t sure if I would enjoy this one, as Coalescent sounded a little casual, but I am happy to report I was wrong! I read it in a record breaking TWO DAYS! Well done Jessica – it was just the tonic!

WATCHED:

I have found summer viewing somewhat tedious this year! I’m not a soaps fan and I hate love island and big brother, so Summer tends to be all about the box sets for us. I am part way through season 1 of Life in Pieces on Amazon Prime, and oh my goodness, has it had me laughing! If you like comedy you can dip in and out of, go forth and watch it! Imagine tiny snippets of hilarity from one extended family, and because many of the moments are relatable on one level or another, it’s brilliant!

MADE:

I’m not much of a maker, but I did manage to mend my daughter’s extremely chewed up bunny in July. That definitely earned me some super mum points!

WORE:

I have definitely NOT worn enough sun cream! My sunburn has been ridiculous at times this year, and I really should know better. I smother the kids in the stuff, but always seem to forget about myself. I’ve wore my hair in a mum bun far too much as well, recently. I say it’s fairly acceptable though, considering it’s been too hot for much else.

HEARD:

The Annie soundtrack has been on almost none stop in the car, thanks to my daughter currently being obsessed with it. Leave the light by Tom Walker really struck home for me recently too. Have you heard it? I only play that when she’s not around though.

Back in April, my friend Bex (who blogs at clearlybex.co.uk) and I packed up and headed off to Last Drop Village in Bolton for a much needed spa break!

It was heaven! We booked the midweek Revive in 25 break, which cost us £90 each. For that, we got unlimited use of the spa facilities, 1x 25 minute treatment each, a 3 course dinner each and then breakfast the next morning. We also got a complimentary room upgrade because we booked direct – result!

Spa:

The Last Drop Village Spa boasts an 18m long swimming pool, a hydrotherapy pool, Rock Sauna, Bio Sauna, Steam Room, Aromatherapy Room and a Halotherapy room. There are sun loungers around the hydrotherapy pool, and the hydrotherapy pohttps://www.lastdropvillage.co.uk/spa-wellness/the-village-spa/ol itself is both indoor and outdoor. If you go through to the outside part, there’s plenty of seating, jets, a fountain and an infinity edge, overlooking the Bolton Countryside – it really is beautiful!

Bex and I spent all afternoon relaxing in the spa, before heading upstairs for our complimentary treatments – we were both booked in for facials. The staff were great – they listened to our skin issues and used appropriate products. (I have really sensitive skin, so the therapist went and got some other products which she felt would be better suited for me).

After our facials, we went back up to our room and took our time getting ready for our evening meal. The bathroom was beautiful, and the complimentary bathroom products were great quality too.

Restaurant:

Once we were both ready, we went down to the restaurant. Our break included a 3 course evening meal from the set menu. I’m vegetarian, so they also brought out the menu for specialist diets, and I could choose from that too. This was the main menu, and we could choose items with an Asterix next to them…

I opted for the soup of the day, which was Tomato Soup, the Potato Gnocchi and the Vanilla cheesecake. All of it was delicious, and I was full to the brim once I’d finished.

Drinks weren’t included with our evening meal package. The drink prices were about the same as in any hotel or restaurant in Manchester City Centre. The table service was great, but you could go to the bar to order, if you preferred.

Twin Room:

After our meal, we turned in for a much needed full night’s sleep! Both beds were super comfy, and we both had a great night’s sleep! The next morning, we went down for breakfast. There was a huge buffet you could help yourself from, or a menu if you preferred table service. I settled on a plate full of pastries while Bex had an English Breakfast.

Once we’d eaten, we packed up our bags and then checked out. We kept a small bag each and put everything else back into the car. Bex and I headed back down to the spa for another few hours of heaven. We explored the village grounds next – They are stunning…

Grounds and Village:

We explored the boutiques and stores before stopping off for a much needed tea and ice cream in the Tearoom. All told, we had a wonderful break, and we both felt it was great value. We’re hoping to sneak off again for another Mum’s Night Off once the kids go back to school in September… Fingers crossed for that!

Do you manage to get away without the kids? If so, are you a fan of spa breaks, or are City breaks more your thing? Check out The Willow Tree’s post on planning a family trip to London if you’re considering heading to the capital for a City Break. To read more of my own travel adventures, browse the Travel category!

Chances are, you found this post because you want to know what the offside rule is in football.

I’ve seen quite a few people posting on social media during the World Cup asking for an easy to understand explanation, so I figured I’d write a blog post explaining it in a way even non football fans could understand (and the football mums stood on the sidelines, not really sure what’s happening)….

I am a big football fan, and also a woman. Being able to confidently explain the offside rule has shut a lot of men up over the years, so I wanted to share the knowledge. I also want to get all the football mums up to speed on the rules…

SO – HERE GOES…..

According to the FA (Football Association), the Offside rule (also known as law 11) is viewable here, but its very confusing to work out.

The best explanation I have ever seen was this:

“A player is caught offside if he’s closer to the opponent’s goal than both the ball and the second-last opponent (including the goalkeeper) when his team-mate plays the ball to him.”

In other words, a player can’t receive the ball from a team mate unless there are at least two players either level with him or between him and the goal – unless his team mate plays the ball backwards to him.

I thought the image shown here explained it pretty well:

A few things to remember….

A player being in an offside position is not penalised unless he is involved in active play.

A player can only be called offside when:

1). In the opposition’s half.

2). Interfering with play (that is, he’s part of the attacking move).

3). Interfering with an opponent (that is, he’s preventing the opponent from defending against the attacking move).

4). Gaining any advantage by being in that position.

Voila!

I hope this blog post helped you to understand the offside rule a little better.

Let me know if you managed to amaze the football fan(s) in your life with the information I have shared!

Are there any other sports rules you’d like to see explained in these easy to follow style steps?

I don’t have a clue about snooker though, so you’re on your own there!