Review: ProVen Probiotics Fit for School Supplements

AD – We were asked to try ProVen Probiotics Fit for School supplements in exchange for this review. All images and opinions are our own.

With the end of August in sight, our attention has firmly towards back to school preparations. We have shopped for new uniform, new shoes, new stationery and we are pretty much back to school ready. One thing we always do, is remind him about the importance of handwashing and good hygiene, anything to minimise the inevitable back to school coughs and colds he will no doubt catch and bring home.

Giving the boy and his immune system a bit of a back to school boost is something we always do. He is so prone to picking up bugs it’s unbelievable. He regularly takes a multivitamin, and during the peak of the pandemic, he also took extra Vitamin D supplements.

We were sent some ProVen Probiotics Fit for School supplements to try. They are designed to help support your child’s immunity and wellbeing. They are chewable tablets which are strawberry flavoured and they have been specially formulated for children aged 4-16 years old.

Each tablet contains 12.5 billion of the unique Lab4 acidophilus and bifidus friendly bacteria combined with vitamin C to help maintain immune function and general wellbeing.

ProVen Probiotics Fit for School supplements are vegetarian, vegan, gluten free and dairy free. They have been tested in two clinical trials so far. The studies showed that ProVen Probiotics Fit for School can have these results –

Days with a cough or cold halved (49% reduction)
Days with a blocked or runny nose reduced by a third (33%)
Number of days with a sore throat reduced by 24%
Need for antibiotics reduced by 27%
Absenteeism from school due to coughs and colds reduced by 30%
Visits to the GP reduced by 43%
No side effects

These benefits are excellent to read. My son has been taking them for about a week now, he’s generally full of beans anyway, but leads a very active life and can feel run down quite easily. He is also very prone to getting bad ear infections and colds. He really likes the taste and says they make him feel super-powered, which is always good to hear.

Review: ProVen Probiotics Fit for School Supplements

I really like that they are packed with Vitamin C and they also have probiotic qualities, which can help him to maintain a healthy gut. Each tablet contains 12.5 billion of the unique Lab4 acidophilus and bifidus friendly bacteria combined with vitamin C to help maintain immune function and general wellbeing.

Fingers crossed that taking these will help him to stay well throughout his last year at primary school. Like most kids, he’s had far too long outside of school this year and I’d hate for a cold or bug to floor him again.

Each box of ProVen Probiotics Fit for School contains 30 tablets and costs £14.99. They are available from Boots and directly from their website.

Sweetpea Pantry – Do their boxed baking mixes work?

Boxed baking mixes are really handy to have in the cupboard for a baking emergency. This week we’ve been putting some of the Sweetpea Pantry range of baking mixes to the test.

In the days before I became I parent I wasn’t known for my baking. I was pretty shoddy at it and used to rely a lot on boxed baking mixes which weren’t that great. Once I became a Mum and it somehow became expected of me to morph into some kind of Nigella creature, I taught myself how to bake. But I still keep a boxed baking mix or two in my cupboard for emergencies.

The Sweetpea Pantry mixes are a little bit different to your standard range of sponge buns with Ninja Turtle decorations. They have a range of sweet and savory mixes which have a healthy twist, more of which later. Many of the mixes are gluten-free and have free-from options; for example their Super-Duper Brownie Mix contains flaxseed and teff, has no added sugar and is gluten-free! They say they are 100% natural, 100% honest and 100% fun!

Sweetpea Pantry - Do their boxed baking mixes work?

The Sweetpea Pantry range includes mixes for cakes, pizza dough, pancakes, flapjacks and biscuits. They’re made with whole grains and nutritious ingredients for delicious, easy and healthy home baking. We were sent a selection of the mixes to try and I was impressed.

The first box we tried were the Super-Duper Brownies. I’m not usually much of a fan of brownies. I don’t really like chocolate cakes and desserts (yes I know I’m weird) but these were the right balance of not too sweet, not too stodgy but with enough brownie goo to please the crowd.

They were so easy to make and all I needed to add was some butter and honey. There is a list of suggested options so you can tailor your bake to meet your requirements, so if you’re vegan you can swap the butter for coconut oil for example. They took ten minutes to make and 12 minutes to prep and 3 minutes to eat the lot.

Sweetpea Pantry - Do their boxed baking mixes work?

In the interests of having a sweet and savory balance, we also tried the Playful Pizza Dough Mix. This contains chia and flax seeds and is vegan, vegetarian, dairy free and contains no added sugar. All I needed to add was a little olive oil and water, plus a bit of flour when I was rolling the dough out.

I followed the instructions on the box, left it to prove and then rolled the dough out to make four different pizzas to feed four fairly fussy people. Here is my pizza, cheese, tomato, chilli and egg. It actually worked really well and I loved the pizza base which was crisp and held the toppings well. We all really enjoyed the flavour of the base, which had a lovely slightly nutty flavour.

Sweetpea Pantry - Do their boxed baking mixes work?

We loved the pizza dough, it was so easy to use. I tend to use a pizza dough mix rather than a bought base these days as they tend to be lighter. I liked the crisp, slightly nutty base and I’ll be buying more to keep in stock for our family pizza and TV nights.

The Sweetpea Pantry baking mixes are available from Ocado, Sainsburys, Booths, Marks & Spencer and a range of other retailers. Each mix costs £2.75 and from what I can tell, they’re delicious, family friendly mixes with a healthy and nutritious twist.

For more information about Sweetpea pantry, visit their website.

Note: I was sent a selection of mixes for review purposes. All images and opinions are our own.

Review: Higher Nature Kids Vitamins

Getting kids to take their vitamins can be a tricky business. We’ve been trying Vital Vits and Smart Focus from Higher Nature – an independently owned business that’s based in the UK. Higher Nature make high quality, ethical and well researched nutritional products for the whole family.

After pushing for tests for a number of years, over the summer my son was finally diagnosed with having an iron deficiency. We were sent away with some dietary advice (which we’d already been following for forever) and told to come back in a couple of months for a re-test. What was clear that however good his diet is, he still needed top ups of iron and other vitamins to keep him healthy.

Giveaway & Review: Higher Nature Kids Vitamins

The worry is that he has inherited a genetic blood disorder – Alpha Thalassemia Trait from my side of the family. There’s not a lot that can be done if he has, he will just need to look after himself, which means taking vitamin supplements and getting lots of sleep, amongst other things.

The problem is supplements are often boring or taste horrible. Kids vitamins and supplements have come a long way in recent years and are easier and more enjoyable to take. We’ve been trying some of the children’s health range from Higher Nature, specifically the Higher Nature Kids Vital Vits and Higher Nature Kids Smart Focus.

Higher Nature Kids Vital Vits

The Higher Nature Vital Vits (£14.99 for 90 tablets) contain 19 of your essential vitamins and minerals (including Iron) and is a good all-rounder. They are suitable for children aged 3+ and you take just one a day. The Vital Vits are designed especially for fussy eaters to support their daily diet.

They come in three delicious fruity flavours with fun-shaped characters – mango robots, lime aliens and raspberry teddies. They are small-ish, chewable tablets and they’re really easy to take. These supplements are gluten, lactose and dairy free and don’t contain any artificial preservatives, colours or flavourings. They are also suitable for vegetarians and vegans and have not been tested on animals.

I’ve tried them and they’re really fruity and not at all chalky. My son really liked them too and would gobble them all up if we let him (which is why we keep them out of reach). These are a real winner for us; knowing he’s getting a daily vitamin boost is a weight off our minds too.

Giveaway & Review: Higher Nature Kids Vitamins

Higher Nature Kids Smart Focus

These Higher Nature Smart Focus Jellies (£9.99 for 27 jellies) contain omega 3 EPA and DHA with omega 6 GLA, all of the essential omegas in one delicious fruity jelly. The jelly is free from added sugars and artificial sweeteners. The jellies have been formulated to help children keep focussed in the classroom.

Getting kids to take fish oil supplements can be tricky. Thankfully my son thinks these jellies are a bit of a treat. They’re intensely fruity flavoured and have no fishy aftertaste which is a bonus. They’re best taken with food, so we usually give my son one with his breakfast.

I think we all need a boost sometimes, especially with the cold and flu season coming up. My son needs an iron boost and taking a multivitamin every day will help him to absorb iron better too. It’s peace of mind for me and the building blocks of good health for him.

For more information about Higher Nature Vitamins and Supplements, visit their website.

We were sent these products for review purposes. All images and opinions are our own.

Health: Vicks First Defence Nasal Spray side effects

Earlier this year I wrote a blog post about Vicks First Defence Nasal Spray and I was pretty positive about it. We’d all three of us used it on the early onset of a cold and it really had stopped it in its tracks, I was impressed. But today I want to share with you a bad reaction I had, which on further investigation seems quite common.

Health: Vicks First Defence Nasal Spray side effects

This morning I woke up with a bit of a sniffle, so I reached for my bottle of Vicks First Defence Nasal Spray and used it according to the instructions. If you sniff when you spray it does burn and run down the back of your throat and is very unpleasant, so I’ve learned not to do that. Taking care not to sniff, I popped two squirts up each nostril whilst I was sat up straight and my head not tilted. I was almost instantly hit by the most incredible pain.

The pain was like a hot poker being pressed on the top of my head on the right side, then forced down through my skull and down my neck. Over the first few minutes it radiated through the right side of my skull and through my right ear. In an attempt to try to get some of the Vicks First Defence Nasal Spray out of my nose, I gave it a good blow, which may have helped I don’t know. Every tooth on the upper right side of my mouth hurt and I had to lie down in the dark for over three hours. I took painkillers and slept, I couldn’t physically have done anything else. This is what I imagine having a stroke feels like.

When I woke up later, the pain is less, but the top of my head is still throbbing and fizzing, I have earache and my eyes are aching. I feel rotten. As soon as I felt able, I propped myself up in bed and googled “Vicks First Defence Nasal Spray bad reaction” which brought me to the Amazon reviews for the product. I filtered them so I could read the (49 at the time of writing) 1 star reviews and almost every one of them complained of a similar reaction.

Image above is a screenshot taken from Amazon.

The Vicks website gives a comprehensive list of the possible side effects, but it does not mention the searing intense pain that myself and other users have reported.

I’m sharing this information with you, not to stop you from using the product, because it has worked for me over and over in the last six months; but to say if this side effect happens to you, you know it’s not just you.

If you are worried, contact your GP. It’s just over four hours since I used the spray now and my head and neck are throbbing and achy. I took painkillers, I’ve drunk plenty of fluids, I lay down and rested as much as I could. It’s not as acute as it was but it feels like it had probably settled in for the day and many of the 1 star Amazon reviewers said the same.

It could be that I am just suddenly sensitive to the ingredients. But I have used it several times over the last six months with no ill effects. I wont be using Vicks First Defence Nasal Spray again, I’d rather have a cold than feel that pain again.

If you experience any bad side effects when using Vicks First Defence Nasal Spray or any other medicine, you can report your experiences to The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency here.

Note: This blog post does not constitute medical advice, I am just sharing my experience of this product.

Can you dig it? The new JCB Kids glasses at Specsavers

Over the weekend the boys went off on an adventure. They were invited to Specsavers at Manchester Fort for the launch of the new range of JCB Kids glasses. It was the promise of getting up close and personal with a real JCB which tempted them; but a free eye test for the boy was also a big draw.

Eye health is something we take pretty seriously as a family. My husband has worn glasses since he was a child and I started wearing them last year. We know it’s likely Ben will need to wear them at some point. Regular eye tests are important for a lot of reasons; not least because having them checked may alert you to a health problem you didn’t know was there.

Can you dig it? The new JCB Kids glasses at Specsavers

Children’s eye tests are available for free from Spacsavers (on the NHS). If they need glasses, they get an under-16s’ NHS optical voucher to put towards new glasses. Kid’s glasses have come a long way since when I was a child. Although the thick NHS specs we dreaded back then are all the rage these days.

Matthew and Ben arrived at Specsavers and were both excited by the real JCB backhoe loader outside. It was even wearing its own giant pair of glasses. Ben was especially excited by the JCB Transformer. Who wouldn’t be? It was an actual Transformer which changed from a JCB to a walking hero in front of his eyes!

Can you dig it? The new JCB Kids glasses at Specsavers

Aside from his school eye test, Ben hasn’t had a proper eye test with an optician and it’s been on my list of things to do for a couple of months now. I was a bit worried that he’d make a fuss and not co-operate with the optician, but he was great. He sat beautifully in the chair and did everything that was asked of him. It helped that the optician who was testing him was fantastic and patient with him. We’ll be back next year!

Thankfully his eyesight is absolutely fine for now. We’re so glad we got him tested, it’s a weight off my mind at least.

Can you dig it? The new JCB Kids glasses at Specsavers

I’m a bit envious of these JCB Kids glasses, they make my sensible glasses look a bit pedestrian. The JCB Kids glasses from iconic British brand JCB are tough, cool and created with adventure loving boys and girls in mind. All of the JCB Kids frames come with single-vision lenses including UV filter and are part of their kids 2 free pairs offer. You can view the full range here.

Can you dig it? The new JCB Kids glasses at Specsavers

Looking after your eyes is so important. I’m so glad we got him tested, it’s reassuring to know that his eyes are ok. We’ll be taking him back next year for his annual test. It’s worth remembering that children’s eye tests and almost all of their glasses are available on the NHS free of charge.

You can find out more about children’s eye tests and the JCB Kids glasses range on the Specsavers website.

We were invited guests of Specsavers and JCB Kids glasses. We received a goodie bag and a voucher towards eye-care as a thank you for attending.

Health: Making sick days better #VicksTricks

It’s February and we are slap bang in the middle of cold season; not that there’s ever really a time when you can’t catch a cold. With school being like it is – a festering swamp of germs. Bugs, viruses and colds can knock a whole class out for weeks at a time and kids are having sick days left, right and centre!

Inevitably the kids bring home germs and the whole family goes down. Whilst we make every effort not to take any unnecessary time off school and work, sometimes a sick day is what you need to knock the bug on the head.

As a parent, the problem with sick days is that you don’t want them to be too much fun, you don’t want to give the idea that being at home is more fun than being at school, but you still want to be able to offer comfort and care to your child.

Health: Making sick days better #VicksTricks

The boy has had thankfully very few sick days off school. But when he has I always make sure he’s warm and comfortable. Snuggled on the sofa under a blanket is fairly standard. He might watch TV for a while, or do some colouring or work his way through an activity book. We will often read to each other and we will always have as many cuddles as he wants or needs. It’s a difficult balance to strike between keeping him entertained but not making it too exciting, so he won’t want more fun sick days at home.

In terms of looking after him when a cold hits, I let him drink as much water or watered down fruit juice as he wants. He’s not yet discovered the comforting hug in a mug a hot cordial can be, but that will come. If he’s suffering he can have some paracetamol medicine, and I encourage him to just keep blowing his nose. If he’s snuffly and coughing at night, the old trick of Vicks Vaporub on the feet really helps.

Interestingly Vicks have done some research into how parents cope with colds and bugs within their families –

• Over half (52%) of parents said that rest was the most important thing for making children feel better
• This was followed by ‘medicine’, which 40% of parents rely on
• More than a third of parents (36%) believe in the power of TLC

And when it comes to keeping children entertained:

• Three out of four (75%) British parents put on the TV or a DVD
• Over a quarter (27%) read to their children
• 1 in 10 parents get really creative; either telling jokes (8%) or even do magic tricks (2%)

Of course prevention is always better than a cure. We are big on hand washing and trying to avoid getting the bugs in the first place. At the first sign of a cold, we adults start taking zinc supplements and praying for mercy. We’ve recently discovered Vicks First Defence. You spray it up your nose a few times a day at the first sign of a cold. It helps to stop the cold bugs in their tracks.

Health: Making sick days better #VicksTricks

I admit to being a little skeptical, but last week I woke up with a tickly throat and reached for the Vicks First Defence Nasal Spray. It was easy to use and I used it for a couple of days and it really did seem to stop the cold in its tracks. I just don’t have the time to be fighting bugs, so this will be part of my bug battle armoury from now on.

This post is an entry for the BritMums #VicksTricks campaign.

Chronic Health Conditions: I’m all out of spoons

In recent years the word “Spoonie” has been used to describe someone like me. Someone who has a chronic health condition. For me it’s pain. I live with pain, most of the time I am the boss of it. I manage it so that it doesn’t appear to the outside world that it manages me. Sometimes the mask slips and I have to admit that I just can’t do it anymore and I need to rest up. Today, this week, is one of those times. I’m all out of spoons.

The idea of spoons – you get X number of spoons a day and you have to choose how to “spend” them. For example a shower might take three spoons, a walk to the shops 5, but you might only have 15 spoons a day, how should you use them best? I don’t always think the spoons thing is always helpful to me, like most people with chronic health problems I have good days and bad. I might have five spoons today, but tomorrow I could have 50. And yes, some days if I use too many spoons I won’t have any or many to use the next day. I feel like I’m saying the word spoons a lot here.

Anyway, long story short. I’ve hurt my back a bit, so my pain levels are high. The numbness in my legs and pelvis is distracting, but I’m trying not to worry. On top of that I’ve got a stomach bug. I’m all out of spoons.

Today I managed to sit up in bed long enough to chug down some painkillers. Then it took me two hours to get the energy together to shakily make my way downstairs to keep the dog company. Then I had to find spoons I didn’t have to clean up the little puppy gifts she’d left me, before I grabbed a drink and lay on the sofa watching TV for the afternoon. I know the boys will be home from school and work soon, so I spent my last remaining spoon on a shower so I looked less like hell for them. No more spoons.

I’ve just had a text “what’s for tea?” To which I replied “I’m too wobbly to stand, sorry”. It’s official, I am all out of spoons.

My beautiful son is making his Beavers promise tonight. I really should go and watch him and his proud moment. I will probably make myself go, using the precious spoons I’d squirreled away for tomorrow. The dog remains unwalked for now, but she’s been played with, which was all I could manage.

I’m normally on top of this. I am normally well in control of my spoons but I’m all out. I’m all out of spoons for now and I’m running up a deficit for tomorrow and the day after.

Note – I wrote this last night on my iPad but didn’t have any spoons or energy left to publish it. I didn’t have enough to get me to Beavers to watch Ben make his promise either, so now I feel like a terrible parent. So here it is, my blog post, and now I’m going back to bed.

Review: Seven Seas Perfect7 Supplements

AD – we were sent a selection of these Seven Seas Perfect7 supplements for review purposes.

This year I’ll be 40 and although I try and look after myself as best I can, I’m well aware that I’m starting to age. I hate taking loads of tablets so I was looking for a good all rounder, something that would suit someone of my age and something that would help me fend off creakiness for a little while longer. I was sent some Seven Seas Perfect7 to try out.

Seven Seas Perfect7 comes in two different kinds, one for men and one for women. I tried the Seven Seas Perfect7 Woman which contains a blend of Marine Oil with Omega-3, plus essential multivitamins and minerals. The specially developed formula encourages the effective absorption of nutrients to support you from the inside as you get older.

Seven Seas Perfect7

Seven Seas have identified 7 key needs for women and have developed Perfect7 Woman to try and meet those specific needs. Perfect7 Woman has been scientifically designed to support:

Skin & Nails – Zinc helps to maintain normal skin and nails
Hair – Biotin contributes to the maintenance of normal hair
Energy – Magnesium contributes to energy yielding metabolism
Brain – DHA contributes to normal brain function
Vision – Vitamin B2 contributes to maintenance of normal vision
Heart – EPA & DHA contribute to the normal function of the heart
Hormonal Activity – Vitamin B6 helps to regulate hormonal activity

Seven Seas Perfect7 comes as a 30 day duo pack. It contains two different tablets to take each day with water. There is one slightly squashy marine oil tablet and one brown speckled tablet. They are shaped like little bullets and although they’re not small, I managed to swallow them easily. I hate taking tablets and often gag them back up, but these were fine for me.

I’ve been taking the Seven Seas Perfect7 for a little over 3 weeks now, although it’s probably too early for me to notice much of a difference, I have noticed that my normally brittle and flaky nails are a bit stronger than they have been for a while and my skin is glowing a bit more, several people have commented about that recently.

I find the tablets easy to take and as they are a good all rounder, containing the following vitamins and minerals.

Vitamin D
Vitamin E
Vitamin C
Thiamin (Vitamin B1)
Riboflavin (Vitamin B2)
Niacin
Vitamin B6
Folic Acid
Vitamin B12
Biotin
Pantothenic Acid
Magnesium
Iron
Zinc
Copper
Manganese
Selenium
Chromium
Iodine

The marine oil tablets contain both fish oil and gelatin making them not suitable for vegetarians which is a shame. I would like it if a vegetarian version of these supplements were available so veggies could take advantage of the benefits of Perfect7.

For me Seven Seas Perfect7 is worth sticking with, in two tablets I can get pretty much everything I need to supplement my diet and hopefully see me into middle age in a more sprightly fashion.

You can find out more about Seven Seas Perfect7 on their website.

Glue Ear – Another operation for the small boy?

*Personal, meandering blog post alert*

This afternoon we are taking the small boy to hospital for a consultation about his glue ear. Almost exactly two years ago he had his first operation to have grommets put in his ears to alleviate the problem. At the time it was very apparent that he was starting to struggle and fall behind his peers, even at the tender age of 3.

I remember him coming round from his anaesthetic, he started chattering away and he’s not stopped since. In the months following he seemed to come on in leaps and bounds, making up for lost time and we looked forward to a problem free future for him.

Regrettably that was not to be. About a year after his operation we suspected that he was starting to struggle to hear again and his ear infections, caused by the glue ear were becoming more frequent. Thankfully he was still having regular-ish appointments with ENT and following a hearing test last year they said they needed to keep an eye on him.

In December they tested him again and he had “significant hearing loss”, they sent us away to consider our options. Really there are only two options; let him suffer repeated infections, pain and discomfort as well as see him struggle at school, or have new grommets put in and his tonsils and adenoids taken out.

Today we go to the hospital to speak to the consultant. Yes we’d like him to have the operation please. Yes can you do it asap please. Yes we understand the risks and yes we’ve both tormented ourselves over making this decision. It doesn’t make it easy and it’s not something any parent wants, but we know that he needs this to be done. I just hope this will be an end to it for him. Poor lamb.

Glue Ear - Another operation for the small boy

Health & Fitness – Squat Challenge March 2016

I’ve become a bit frustrated with myself of late, I need to exercise but it’s hard to find the time and the inclination. I live with chronic pain and like most people I have good and bad days, so it can be hard for me to absolutely commit to doing Pilates every Thursday, or to go swimming each Monday, because I never really know how good, or not so good I’ll feel. That’s at least one of my excuses, so I’m sticking to it.

I’ve decided to set myself a squat challenge for March. I’ve seen these kind of challenges before and they’re pretty much designed for reasonably fit and healthy people, not for slightly wonky people like me who make a noise when they stand up. Now I’m no fitness instructor, I have no qualifications (consider this a disclaimer of sorts), but I know from various Pilates and Yoga classes, and from my rehab physios that doing squats is pretty good for me and my condition, which is basically a ruined spine, nerve damage and constant pain. Yay me.

Even though I can’t always feel my legs, I feel happier when they are feeling strong, so I know that squats will help this, as well as helping to give me buns of steel.

Why do squats?

A quick search of the internet throws up many many good reasons for including squatting in your daily exercise regime, these include –

Buns of steel – you get a nice toned bum!
Squatting can work your lower body, helping to strengthen your quads, glutes, hamstrings, calves, lower back (yay) and even your abs and as a result squatting will help you burn fat.
Squatting helps to strengthen your muscles, joints and ligaments and improved the flexibility in your ankles, knees, hips and back .
Improves core strength and stability.
Squats can also (apparently) help to combat cellulite and firm up your thighs.

I’ve created this Squat Challenge for me to do in March, it starts off super-easy. I’m pretty sure I can do 10 squats with no trouble at all, but the thought of doing 70 squats in a day sounds like it might hurt, but by slowly increasing the number of squats I do each day seems to me to be more doable. I’m not going to pressure myself to do them all in one go, I might break them up into sets of 10 or so and do them each time I go in the kitchen. I’ve printed off my Squat Challenge calendar so I’ll just stick that to the fridge and cross them off as I do them.

If you’re not sure how to to do squat correctly then the video below is great and gives tips for people like me how have mobility and stability issues. I always make sure I’m near something I can grab should I lose my balance, and like she says in the video, you can always add weights to help make things more challenging once you’ve got the posture right.

Like I said, I’m no health and fitness expert, but I’ve devised this Squat Challenge just for me and my physical limitations and needs, but you’re welcome to join me during March in my quest for buns of steel. Who’s in?

You can download my FREE Squat Challenge Calendar here.