This weekend we’ve been decorating his bedroom. This was his reaction when we finally let him in to have a look. I think he liked it!
Gas Safety Week 2015 – Keep safe from Carbon Monoxide
Gas Safety Week this year falls on 14th – 20th September. The end of September is generally the time when many households give into temptation and put their heating on, only to find that it’s not working properly or even at all. The start of autumn is a good time to get your boiler and central heating system serviced by a suitably qualified professional, just to make sure everything is working properly, efficiently and most importantly safely.
Looking back over my Facebook memories the other day I was reminded of a time in our old house, I was very pregnant and we were getting everything shipshape for the baby, we decided to get our boiler serviced. The engineer came, ran a few tests and then shut the whole system off. It was leaking dangerous carbon monoxide gas, and although it was a bit inconvenient, I’m very glad we got it checked and then repaired properly. I dread to think of what would’ve happened had we just left it. Now we make sure our whole system gets serviced annually and we have a couple of carbon monoxide sensors in the house.
It’s important that you get your boiler checked by a suitably qualified and registered Gas Safe Engineer. A check could help protect you and your family from dangerous carbon monoxide poisoning. Fitting a carbon monoxide detector is another useful safety precaution.
For more information on Gas Safety Week and for advice on getting your boiler properly serviced visit the Corgi Homeplan website. You can find out more about the harmful effects of carbon monoxide in this blog post I wrote last year too.
Exploring The Really Interesting Food Co.
Over the last few months I’ve been trying out a number of different healthy food brands, the latest one is The Really Interesting Food Co. who make a range of vibrant and imaginative soups and meals inspired by cuisines from around the world. I was sent a couple of their best sellers to try, and I was impressed!
I tried the Spanish Chickpea Casserole and the Balinese Lentil and Pepper Soup. I was impressed by the vibrant flavours and the heartiness of the casserole and the soup, I served them both with a hunk of bread and they were filling and delicious meals in themselves. They’re a great store cupboard saviour, meaning when I’m tired and hungry I could just open a tin and have a healthy meal in minutes.
The Really Interesting Food Co. also have in their range –
~ Moroccan Chickpea Soup
~ Mexican Bean Soup
~ Sri Lankan Lentil and Coconut Soup
~ Thai Temple Curry
~ Thai Green Curry
The products from The Really Interesting Food Co. are free from artificial additives and preservatives, and are gluten, wheat, dairy and GM free, as well as being suitable for vegetarians and vegans too.
Products from The Really Interesting Food Co. range are available from all good supermarkets and health food stores.
Autumn Crafts – Make your own Autumn wreath
We went for a little walk yesterday around the park and we looked at all the different colours of the leaves. It was a mellow, autumnal day, still warm but with a slight seasonal dampness. The slow death of summer and the beginnings of decay were all around us. It was a good chance to talk about change and the seasons. Inspired by this we came home and made an autumn wreath. It was really simple and lots of fun to do. Why don’t you have a go too?
You will need:
One paper plate
Orange paint (plus paintbrush etc)
Leaf foam stickers
A short piece of ribbon or string
Sticky tape
Scissors
A few days before our walk we painted our paper plates orange, we had to give them a couple of coats of paint and we left them to dry. Once they were dry I cut out the inside of the plate, leaving a ring which we could decorate.
We sat down with our packet of leaf foam stickers from Baker Ross (currently available at a bit of a bargain price), and got sticking. The pack contains six assorted leaf designs in autumnal shades. Which gave us another chance to talk about leaves, autumn and the seasons.
Once we’d decorated our autumn wreath to our satisfaction, I cut a loop of ribbon and stuck it to the back of the paper plate ring with sticky tape, and we proudly hung our autumn wreath up on the wall.
It’s a really, really simple craft activity, but I think the result is quite effective and it’s a lovely way to brighten up the house a bit now the nights are beginning to get shorter. Roll on Christmas! (Too soon?)
Review: The New EasiYo Yoghurt Maker
This month EasiYo are launching their newly designed yoghurt maker. It’s a stylish update on the original EasiYo yoghurt maker, a fashionable red pod which makes 1kg of yoghurt each time. I was sent one of the newly launched EasiYo yoghurt makers to try out. But what did my yoghurt loving boys think and just how easy is it to use?
The new design is quite lovely to look at, it’s all sleek and shiny and doesn’t look out of place in a modern kitchen. I unpacked it and my box contained the red pod, the 1kg yoghurt jar and some instructions. I was given the Strawberries and Cream and the Greek yoghurt with coconut flavours to try.
I thought I’d try the boys with the strawberries and cream yoghurt, this is the flavour we buy from the supermarket the most, so I thought it’s make for a useful taste test.
Making EasiYo yoghurt is incredibly easy and much quicker than I thought it would be. The instructions are on the back of each packet anyway, but you simply mix the sachet with water, give it a good shake and then put it in the pod which is half filled with boiling water. Leave it overnight and you’ve got 1kg of yoghurt to enjoy!
In the morning I had a quick look at it, put the yoghurt jar in the fridge and left it until teatime. So what did the boys think? Well… they loved it! The small boy, originally sceptical that it didn’t come in a pot has been demanding seconds and even thirds of it. It’s thick, creamy and delicious and contains no artificial ingredients, is gluten-free, vegetarian and full of nutrients. I’m sold on EasiYo, and I think he is too!
It’s incredibly easy to make, and it makes 1kg of yoghurt at a time, which makes it really economical. Plus it’s pretty fun to make with the kids, especially ones who like mixing things up in the kitchen. There are a huge range of flavours and styles of yoghurt to choose from, from very low fat yoghurt to indulgent creamy yoghurt. We’re looking forward to trying them all out!
You can find more information about EasiYo yoghurt on their website.
My Sunday Photo 13.9.15
Review: My Glasses Guru Sunglasses
I’m not a massive one for accessories, I don’t wear much jewellery and my handbag is a rucksack. My tastes have always been on the practical side of things rather than high fashion, more so since I became a mum. One thing I always carry with me and wear even in the depths of winter are sunglasses.
I have it in my head that wearing sunglasses will stop me squinting into the sunlight, and as a result they are my first defence against wrinkles and crows feet. So far, so good. I’ve found sunglasses were also good for hiding the fact I’ve not slept properly since 2010. I don’t mind spending a bit of money on a decent pair of sunglasses, given I’ll wear them most days, it’s an expense I can easily justify.
It was time for an upgrade so I had a look at the My Glasses Guru website. My eye was instantly drawn to the O’Neill Runa sunglasses in tortoiseshell and mint – my kind of colours. They have an extra large plastic frame and are unisex sunglasses. They were £45 which was a good price for O’Neill sunglasses and they had a really good range of other makes to choose from.
The sunglasses arrived within a few days and came in a padded glasses case, wrapped in tissue paper and packaged in a sturdy box. I decided to take a few selfies and them take my self out for a walk to test them out properly.
The glasses are very comfortable to wear, seem lightweight but robust, and left no marks across my nose or by my ears like some glasses do. I love the mint colour and the tortoiseshell is subtle but stylish. The glasses are big, which suits me and my anti-crows feet mission but I love them. A male friend of mine tried them on and they really suited him too, so I think this is a style most people could carry off easily.
The sunglasses are smoked glass and have a UV400 lens which offers a high level of protection for your eye. I really like the padded case which is great for throwing in my bag when I’m out and about. There’s nothing I don’t like about them. They’re really comfortable to wear and I can see me wearing these most sunny days.
Note: I was sent these sunglasses free of charge for review purposes from My Glasses Guru. All images and opinions are my own.
101 reasons why I’m anxious
Ah anxiety my old friend. You come, you go, I might not see you for a week or two, then suddenly you’re back, waving at me from afar, moving closer, your shadow looming over me and across my life. But why? Why won’t you leave me alone?
Tonight anxiety is casting her ugly shadow again and I don’t know why. I always figured if I knew why then I could make it stop, at least for now. So my brain runs through all the likely and unlikely reasons for my anxiety, so here goes. I might not get anywhere near 101 reasons why I’m anxious, but we’ll see…
- Is my son ok?
- Is he developing properly?
- Has he settled into school ok?
- Am I a good enough mum?
- I’m lonely
- I’m tired
- I work too hard
- I don’t work hard enough
- I can’t pay a bill
- Are things ok with my husband?
- Is my house about to fall down?
- Worry about friends
- Worry about my health
- Worry about my pain levels
- Worry about dying and leaving my son alone
- Worry about my family
- Is my Dad ok?
- I’m tired
- Am I working hard enough?
- I can’t afford my prescriptions
- I’m lonely
- I miss my friends
- I want to go out for a drink
- If I go out for a drink am I an alcoholic?
- Is my work good enough?
- I’m stupid
- Why am I stupid? I used to be so sharp
- Terrorism
- The world
- Dying children and heartbroken parents
- Do I live in a bubble?
- Do I care that I live in a bubble?
- Do I think too much?
- Do I think enough?
- What can I do?
- What can anyone do?
- Are we all going to die?
- Are we all going to die alone?
- Am I going to die alone?
- Yes.
- I’m going to die
- Will it hurt?
- Everything hurts anyway
- Everything hurts
- I’m hungry
- I’m hungry and there’s nothing to eat in the house
- What can my son have for breakfast?
- Rivita.
- My son will hate me
- He hates me anyway
- He’s not the only one, lots of people hate me
- I am worthless
- I am ugly
- I am useless
- I have let my son down
- I’m stuck here
- I’m lonely
- I’ve got no one to talk to
- Why do I feel empty?
- Am I dead inside?
- How would I know if I were dead inside?
- Why do I care about people who don’t care about me?
- Will I always be anxious?
- I’m feeling anxious because I don’t know why I’m anxious
- Why am I anxious?
- Remember that dark place? Lets not go back there
- Please don’t get like that again
- Oh god, the thought of it is terrifying
- Panic attack!
- Why can’t I breathe?
- Gah. I wish I had someone to talk to about all this.
- Hey did you know I have an anxiety disorder?
- You want me to stop banging on about it?
- Me too. Stuck record and all that
- *texts friend* why won’t they reply?
- *sends another text* WHY WON’T THEY REPLY?
- They hate me. I don’t blame them
- I’m worthless
- I’m ugly
- I’m useless
- I’m always asking for help
- They’re bored of me
- I’m boring
- I hate myself
- Sorry I’m boring
- *texts friend* sorry for pestering
- Hates self for texting about pestering because it is actually pestering
- I’m the worst person
- Why am I the worst person?
- I hate myself
- Why can’t I breathe?
- Why am I so anxious?
- Why can’t I just calm the hell down?
- Why doesn’t anyone love meeee?
- What have I done wrong?
- Why am I so hateful?
- My life is basically an Alanis Morissette album
- Oh god my life is an Alanis Morissette album
- I’m so lonely. Isn’t it ironic. Don’t you think?
- Agh I’ve got that as an earworm now?
- So THAT’S why I’m anxious. Crap.
Nope. Still anxious!
Autumn Crafts – Painting Hedgehog Tealight Holders
It may be September, but the world has suddenly slipped into autumn. Autumn is one of my favourite seasons, full of mellow fruitfulness, crunchy leaves and an excuse to get our open fire lit and roaring. The small boy and I have been noticing the changes around us on our walks, the berries in the hedgerows, the acorns and conkers starting to fall from the trees and the busy squirrels stocking up for the lean winter months. This lead us to start talking about hibernation and the snuffling, shuffling hedgehogs which we rarely see by often read about.
We were sent a box of ceramic hedgehog tealight holders to paint from craft company Baker Ross, so one afternoon after our autumnal walk we sat down and painted them up.
The box contained four plain white ceramic hedgehog tealight holders and we used some paint which we were sent to decorate them. A box of four ceramic hedgehog tealight holders currently costs just £4.40, which I think is good value and you can paint them up as presents for people.
I chose to paint mine blue with multi-coloured spots and the small boy wanted to paint his black and red. As you can see from the picture he was really focused on the task and he sat and painted his hedgehog for about half an hour or so. This is a great craft activity which works to strengthen his hand muscles, improve his hand-eye co-ordination and his attention to detail.
While we were painting we chatted away about hedgehogs and I looked up a few hedgehog facts for him. Did you know….?
- A baby hedgehog is called a hoglet
- Each hedgehog has about 5000 spiky spines, each one falls out after about a year
- Hedgehogs hibernate in the winter, they eat as much as they can and then find a cosy nest to curl up in for the winter around October
- A hedgehog is nocturnal and only comes out at night to forage for food
- A hedgehogs favourite food is slugs – yukky!
Here are our finished hedgehog tealight holders. We’re very proud of them. They were easy to paint and I think they look really good. Despite my initial thought that the black and red hedgehog might look a bit gothic, I think he’s managed to create quite an interesting effect. He’s incredibly proud of his creation and loved to show it off to visitors and enjoys me lighting it at night.
Just 365 Days until I’m 40
Today is my 39th birthday. When people ask me how old I am they do the head tilt and I’m sorry for your loss face, like my birthday is akin to a death in the family and that time is mercilessly marching on. That’s what time does, it inevitably drags you each second, each minute slightly closer to old age and infirmity.
Except I already feel reasonably infirm. I know pensioners who don’t groan with pain when they stand up half as much as I do, so I’m cool with the getting old thing, because my body is already like 75 or something.
I have 365 days left until I’m 40. I’m curious as to what the big deal is, when that magical day arrives does a fanfare sound and your boobs suddenly drop to your knees, your hair turns white and you start paying into your funeral plan? Well I’ve got news for you time, you’re too late on at least two of those things!
I’m pretty sure nothing actually happens and that 40 is nothing special any more. Thirty years ago 40 was properly old, with life expectancy considerably lower than it is now, turning 40 mean’t you probably had 25 years left, tops. These days barring serious illness or disaster, people are living well into the eighties or nineties. So chances are I’ll be creaking on for a little while yet.
Last year on my 38th birthday I reflected on the previous 12 months and nothing had really changed. The year before that I did the same, and nothing had changed. And the year before that, and the year before that. Nothing really changed. Ok, so I’ve had to change my job because of my health, and I’ve changed my entire life when I became a mum, but time ticks on and nothing ever really changes.
I don’t fear 40, because it will be no different to 39 and 39 will pretty much be the same as 38. A friend asked me how old I’d be today, I told her I was 39, “howay pet (she’s from the extreme North), you donae look that old” and that is the hope I’m hanging on to.
I’m not especially vain, I’ve never been a beauty so it’s not like I have looks to lose. I’ve always been the funny one who gets drunk and makes people laugh. I’ve always been the caring one who people tell their darkest secrets to, or come to for a shoulder to cry on. These things don’t tend to age, they don’t tend to droop or go grey or get wrinkles. Plus I’ve got my Nan’s “good skin” and my Dad’s don’t give a crap attitude.
So with 365 days left until I’m 40 I can honestly say I don’t give a crap. Happy birthday me; may 39 be a vintage year, full of gin and tonics, pedicures and curly wurlys. Chin chin x
