Monday 28 February 2022

(Ad - Gifted) OR, je vis - The Ultimate Care Gel Cream!

When I was younger I didn't really look after my skin it's only since I turned 40 a couple of years ago I thought I should be looking after it more, especially on my face. I actually have a cleansing routine now, saying that makes me feel like such a grown up but I think the older I get the more I am taking time for a bit of self care.

Recently I was sent a gorgeous, luxurious beauty treat to try out. OR, je vis - The Ultimate Care Gel Cream from Odile Paris.

OR, je vis - The Ultimate Care Gel Cream

OR, je vis has a lightweight gel formula composed of high performance molecules of anti-ageing 
ingredients which stimulate the natural defences of the skin. With continued use, the skin regains it's balance, its comfort and its luminosity.

Arriving in such a pretty box I was excited to open it and I wasn't disappointed. It looked so fancy and couldn't wait to get it on my face.

OR, je vis

The key ingredient to OR, je vis is Abyssine657 - a molecule that provides stimulation of the skin’s natural defences. Discovered in the abyss of the sea, the ingredient is synthesised by a microorganism, which enables its survival in an incredibly hostile environment. Biotechnological research has shown that Abyssine657 reinforces the skin’s natural defences and strengthens its ability to withstand exterior aggressions such as wind, pollution, lack of sleep, or stress.

It's the little things like a spatula being included which make me happy. You take the necessary amount with the spatula and apply it daily to clean skin. Focusing on sensitive areas, gently pat the treatment onto the face and allow it to penetrate the skin.

The Ultimate Care Gel Cream

OR, je vis goes on like a dream, it isn't sticky and soaks into your skin easily. I have been using it for a week and can already see and feel the difference in my skin. It might look like the container is small and you don't get much of the gel but it's one of those things where a little goes a long way.

The Ultimate Care Gel Cream OR, je vis, 50ml, is available for £125 from the Odile website. Yes it is expensive but as a luxury treat for yourself I think it's worth it. It would also make such a wonderful gift for any lady in your life.

I was sent the OR, je vis - The Ultimate Care Gel Cream free of charge in exchange for this blog post.

Our weekly meal plan! 28th February - 6th March. #MealPlanningMonday

Our weekly meal plan

Last weeks meal plan went well. We ate everything apart from the pork and apple sausages & potato wedges on Saturday night. During the week we had got it into our head that we wanted a Chinese takeaway but instead of getting the takeaway I placed an order with Iceland and got Sweet & sour filled chicken balls, chicken chow mein, egg fried rice, salt & pepper chips and prawn crackers. It cost about £10 which was way less than an actual takeaway. Getting a shop with Iceland also gave me chance to get pancake stuff ready for tomorrow and a few other bits for the freezer. The whole shop didn't cost much more than we would pay for a Chinese takeaway. We are well and truly stocked up now. 

We had a nice weekend. Stu, myself and Ellie went off to the local auction bought a couple of things and had lunch out at the cafe and we of course had a lazy Sunday, well apart from getting a ton of washing done. It was such a sunny, bright day. Apart from Pancake day we don't have much on for the week. I can't think of anything anyway. I do feel like I have forgotten something but I have double checked and all the appointments that we have are next week.

On the menu this week we have:

Tuesday - Pancakes! I don't think we'll have savoury, just sweet one's.
Wednesday - Corned beef and potato pie with baked beans. I am going to make the pie myself.
Friday - Pizza.
Saturday - Hot dogs in buns & corn on the cob.
Sunday - Sausages, mashed potato and veg.

I am linking up with Karen over at Cat's, Kids, Chaos who is the host of the meal planning linky. If you blog about your meal plan do come and link up!

Sunday 27 February 2022

Spring has sprung. #MySundaySnapshot

During the week I noticed my daffodils have sprouted, grown and have bloomed. I could have sworn it was much later on last year. I was sure I hadn't started on the garden until March but it came up on my Facebook memories that it was a year on Friday since I had a tidy up in the garden and dug the flowerbeds up. I am late this year but the weather really hasn't been great with all of the storms and only last week we still had snow and hailstones. Brr! The garden is on my to do list which reminds me that I need to start buying some seeds.

Daffodils outside

My Sunday Snapshot

Saturday 26 February 2022

Week 8 of #Project365. 19th - 25th February. A photo every day for a year!

I hope everyone is doing OK. The world news is awful at the moment. I have been trying to avoid it as much as I can but I do feel for those losing their homes, family members and lives.

I have had a pretty quiet week. I really haven't been up to much. It has been nice just pottering about the house. I have had a couple of days home alone and as much as I love my family I do cherish that time when I can do what I want without anyone asking what I am doing and asking for things from me. hehehe

This week we have had all the weather. Strong winds, snow, hailstones, sun, rain and yesterday I was sat outside of a cafe without my coat on as it was so warm.

Now for a photo everyday!

Me and Ritter chocolate
Harry Potter mug & a rainbow
Blue sky
Hailstones and burger, cake and a cuppa

50/365 - 19th February
Me! I was getting ready to go into town shopping. Becky was sleeping off a night shift and saw my photo on Instagram and then rang me to tell me I am such a catfish. hehehe I really don't look like I do in the photo every day. It's amazing what a bit of make up and hair straightener can do.

51/365 - 20th February
Ritter Sport chocolate. I found this pack in B&M with all the different flavours. It really is my favourite chocolate at the moment. 

52/365 - 21th February
I got a new mug. It came from Asda and was only about £4. I have been wanting it for ages but it's always been out of stock until this week. 

53/365 - 22th February
I was sat waiting for Ellie to come in from school and glanced up and saw the biggest rainbow. By the time I got up, found my phone and took a photo it was just about gone. Hmmf. 

54/365 - 23th February
It was such a sunny, bright day but it was still so cold.

55/365 - 24th February
We had rain then the sun would come out then it would hailstone, rain a bit more then the sun would come out. The weather needs to make it's mind up.

56/365 - 25th February
A burger, cake and a cuppa at my favourite cafe before I went for a look around our local auction. We're going back today to do some bidding. Stu wants some stuff and so does Ellie.

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Friday 25 February 2022

(Ad - Gifted) No Longer Last On The List! A self-growth guide for tired, busy women!

I always put my kids and my fella first, before myself and sometimes I need reminding that I am a person which needs to look after themselves too! Recently I was sent a book to have a look at which could help me learn to put myself first. 

No Longer Last On The List by Jo Bevilacqua is A self-growth guide for tired, busy women; helping you to eliminate doubt, set boundaries and prioritise your own importance, without guilt.

No Longer Last On The List

Jo wrote this book as a self-growth guide for tired, busy women to help them eliminate doubt, set healthy boundaries and prioritise their own needs without feeling guilty. I am guilty of feeling guilty when I choose to do something for myself instead of doing something for my family. That is too much guilt to be carrying around.

Mother's tend to put their kids needs before their needs which can leave them feeling drained and tired. However, if they take care of themselves before others they are most likely to feel their best because that way they are not pouring from an empty cup but rather filling own cup first. 

Contents of No Longer Last On The List

Packed full of practical, mindset-changing activities and inspirational messages, No Longer Last on the List will help you to:

Stop comparing yourself to others, in real life or online.
Embrace your worth - You Matter!
Find self-acceptance and show self-compassion.
Realise that practising self-love benefits everyone around you.
Stop saying you’re fine when you’re really not.
Learn how to set boundaries with friends and family.
Take back your time and make more time for you.
Stop doubting yourself and starting achieving your goals.
Learn how to say no without feeling guilty.
Embrace who you are with no apologies.
Live the life you dream about.

This book is a great reminder that if I look after myself I will do a better job of looking after my family. Over the past couple of years I have found it especially hard to put myself first when trying to keep my family safe, home schooling as well as raising two teenagers but this book has started to put me back on track with looking after myself.

As well as offering advice there are facts to support that advice including inspirational quotes and findings of studies done at universities. At the end of each chapter there is a time for reflection to go through what you have learned and some activities to do which really do help.

Reflection Time - No Longer Last On The List

This book is easy to read and a lot of the time when I have been reading it has felt like it is someone I know speaking to me, a friend just telling me a few home truths. It's not condescending but more encouraging. It feels like the book was written for me.

A few parts really stood out to me: about setting boundaries, saying no and worrying about what I can't control and how to deal with it. I feel motivated and dare I say less anxious at the moment. I think after reading this I will be reading it again and again when I start to doubt myself and stop putting myself first.

I think this book would be great gift, especially with Mother's Day coming up. A lot of mother's are in need of something to support them through the journey of motherhood. This book will help guide them to remember their value. I wouldn't say it is just for mothers as a lot is relevant to women in general.

I was sent the book No Longer Last On The List free of charge in exchange for this blog post.

This week my Word of the Week is: Serene! #WotW

This week my Word of the Week is:

Serene

Yesterday was classed as "freedom day", all the Covid restrictions were lifted all at the same time when two countries were going to war. It seems like madness. I joked with my dad that for the last couple of years all we have worried about is Covid but now that seems the least of our worries.

Yesterday I started avoiding watching the news again. I am all for coping by burying my head in the sand and ignoring what is going on in the world. From what I have seen I feel so sad for people who are being attacked.

When it comes to Covid we are still being cautious and will be wearing masks when we're out and about. I like wearing a mask. In this weather it keeps my face warm, I pull faces behind it and might or might not mouth words to people without them seeing when they are annoying me. Becky works in a care home so she is being extra careful. She doesn't want to put anyone at risk.

I know the recent storms have done a lot of damage but Storm Eunice was a bit of a let down here. It seemed no worse than the previous storm and the one after. The wind picked up but nothing too bad. Thankfully we all stayed safe and no damage was done.

I am trying to think what I have done with my week and it's not much. The kids are back at school and college after half term so I have enjoyed having some time to myself where I have just pottered around the house, it has been lovely.

We got an appointment through from the hospital for Ellie in the Children's outpatients department and I had no clue what it was for. It could have been to see the neurologist or to get her hearing aid fitted so I gave them a ring. The receptionist was lovely and said the appointment was actually a check on Ellie's heart. With Covid happening I had completely forgotten about that check up. She is supposed to get one every year after having heart surgery when she was little to fix a hole in her heart and being left with leaking valves but the last one was in November 2019. They were only doing urgent appointments and now they are playing catch up. The receptionist said that she gets about 50 phone calls a day asking what appointments are for when they are just general outpatient one's, especially when people are waiting for more than one. We agreed they should give a hint on the letter. hehehe

I am actually looking forward to Ellie's heart check. Usually I dread them but I am hoping that the cardiologist can shed some light on the old bleeds on Ellie's brain that were found in her MRI scan as we haven't had an appointment for her Neuro appointment yet. I am in a FB group for the heart kids from the Freeman hospital on Facebook and the other day a woman was worried about her child as they had discovered old bleeds on their brain in a MRI scan that was being done for something unrelated to the heart and tons of people said don't worry, it's quite common for heart kids especially before surgery and when they have been on a heart bypass machine. That is more than I found out from Googling brain bleeds. I was just finding studies and reports. I feel very reassured.

Despite everything that is going on I feel quite serene. I haven't felt this calm in such a long time. I hope this feeling lasts.

How has your week been?

Word of the Week linky

Thursday 24 February 2022

Banana Lava Pancakes - Recipe.

Pancake day is almost here. My family loves pancakes but we don't eat them often enough. This time every year I always say we should eat them more but never do but I am going to make an effort over the next year to have pancakes on a weekend as a treat.

There are so many pancake recipes out there but here is another to make sure you're not falling flat of inspiration on the 1st March. Banana Lava Pancakes look like such a treat.

Banana Lava Pancakes

Boasting fluffy banana pancakes filled with a gooey peanut butter center, this recipe makes for an indulgent start to Pancake Day! Why not try swapping out peanut butter for Nutella or Biscoff spread for an equally delicious filling!

Makes 6 pancakes

Ingredients:
6 heaped teaspoons of smooth peanut butter.
1 large banana.
2 eggs.
120g self-raising flour.
50ml milk (or 50g, if you don’t have a measuring jug).
2 tbsp icing sugar (plus extra for dusting).

Equipment:
Plate
Mixing bowl
Fork
Non-stick frying pan
Method

Place 6 individual tsp mounds of peanut butter on the plate and place in the freezer for at least 15 minutes.

Whilst the peanut butter firms up in the freezer, mash the banana in the mixing bowl using a fork then mix in the eggs and icing sugar, followed by the flour and milk. Ensure everything is combined, it will be a little lumpy because of the banana.

Place the frying pan over a medium flame and allow it to heat up, then spoon in the first 3 pancakes (2 tbsp batter for each).

Once bubbles start to appear, place one mound of the firmed up peanut butter into the centre of each pancake and cover with another tbsp of batter.

Flip the pancakes and leave to cook for about a minute before placing on a plate.

Repeat steps 3-5 again for the remaining batter, stack the pancakes on a plate, dust with icing sugar and serve.

Tip: You can omit the peanut butter, or use chocolate spread or Biscoff spread for different flavoured pancakes

This recipe is from the Easy Peasy Baking campaign, launched by UK Flour Millers making baking simple. You can find more Easy Peasy Baking recipes and information on the campaign over on the Fab Flour website.

Wednesday 23 February 2022

(Ad - Gifted) The In Full Bloom Range from Mad Beauty!

We have tried a few things from Mad Beauty in the past. I think the products that they sell are a lot of fun as well as cute and certainly not overpriced. In the past had fun with the The Disney Princess Face Mask Collection and have since gone on to buy them as a gift for someone and when our hands were suffering with all of the hand washing we tried out the All-Hands collection including hand wash and soap sticks.

The In Full Bloom Range from Mad Beauty

Recently we were sent some of the products from the Full Bloom range to have a look at. With it almost being March we can almost start to think about warmer weather coming.

Live life in full bloom with our delightful, giftable floral bath and body range, capturing the essence of an English country garden on a summer’s day. How cute are these! They make me feel warmer just looking at them.

MAD Beauty Full Bloom Lip Balm Duo - £7.99

MAD Beauty Full Bloom Lip Balm Duo

Two handy floral lip balm tins in cherry and vanilla fragrances, in a garden inspired pop up gift box.

MAD Beauty In Full Bloom Melting Bath Petals - £10.99.

MAD Beauty In Full Bloom Melting Bath Petals

MAD Beauty In Full Bloom Bath Salts - £3.50

A floral bath salts bouquet to brighten up bathroom shelves with the fresh and uplifting fragrance of tuberose.

Bath Salts & Hand cream

MAD Beauty In Full Bloom Hand Care Set - £4.99

The perfect gift for hardworking hands. Includes a shea butter infused tuberose fragranced hand cream and a pretty floral nail file.

MAD Beauty In Full Bloom Fizzer Trio - £7.99

MAD Beauty In Full Bloom Fizzer Trio

Inspired by an English country garden, this trio of fizzers is a delight for the senses, with the sweet floral aroma of tuberose.

MAD Beauty In Full Bloom Watering Can Gift Set - £13.99

MAD Beauty In Full Bloom Watering Can Gift Set

The perfect gift for the green fingered! A tuberose body wash and sweet pea body lotion presented in a real usable mini watering can.

I think these are all great gifts and are great prices too. With Mother's day coming up at the end of next month they are something to think about. As a mum I would certainly be happy with any of these things. 

What is your favourite item from the In Full Bloom Range from Mad Beauty?

I was sent a these products from Mad Beauty free of charge in exchange for this blog post.

Tuesday 22 February 2022

Spending too much time online.

Ellie made some bad choices a little while ago which resulted in a phone call from school, a telling off and a ban from the internet which to be honest has been brilliant for us all! I didn't realise that Ellie spending so much time online was such a problem until she wasn't going online. I will hold my hands up and say I was partly to blame with letting her spend too much time online.

Ellie used to come home from school, do her homework (online), chat to her friends (online), play games (online), listen to music (online), watch anime (online). She spent a lot of time online and the trouble she got into made me realise it was probably too much time online. At the moment the only time she is going online is at school, which is of course monitored and to do her homework at home. She still has time on her computer and plays Minecraft and The Sims but she has spent a lot of time away from her computer too.

My youngest

We have been talking more. I have found out so much more about her days at school and her friends. We have talked about all sorts. Politics, tv shows, the future and music. She really is a bright girl, way brighter than I was at her age. She is full of opinions and can give a good argument for something she believes in.

Ellie used to hate coming off her computer to eat meals but now she will quite happily sit with us and enjoy her food now that there is no rush to get back online. I'd even go as far to say that she is eating more. She still complains about too many vegetable and that her sister might have one more chicken nugget than her but it's all good.

She has been getting outside more. Ellie has been to the park a couple of times and now that the nights seem lighter we have gone for the odd walk. Not far but enough to stretch our legs. She has showed me some of the places where her and her friends hang out and we have found some great routes to take and some not so great routes which were full of mud.

Colouring in and drawing has become a big thing again and so has building Lego. Ellie did get a jigsaw out but gave up soon after starting. She went for a 2000 piece puzzle which was a little too challenging, she has said she is going to start an easier one soon.

Soaks in the bath have became Ellie's new obsession. Usually it would be a quick dip but now she is spending at least 45 minutes in the tub most nights. lol

Don't get me wrong there has been times when she has said she's bored but I have given her jobs to do which she has done willingly so she must have been really bored. lol She has missed playing online games and chatting to her friends but when she is back online we will be going through her friends lists and removing those who are not a good influence.

With Ellie spending less time on her computer I have been too and I think it has been good for us both. It has been nice to do other things than endlessly scroll through social media.

We decided that Ellie could go back online when half term started and her computer has been moved into the living room so I can keep a closer eye on her and so far it is working well. We have both made mistakes, her with the trouble she got in and me not taking notice of how much time she was spending online. Hopefully she will choose to spend more time offline and I am going to make a point of making sure she does.

Do you or your children spend too much time online?

Monday 21 February 2022

Our weekly meal plan! 21st - 27th February. #MealPlanningMonday

Our Weekly Meal plan

Last weeks meal plan didn't go to plan but it's fine. Lots of meals weren't eaten due to the kids changing their plans and us just not fancying what I had planned to eat. Nothing was wasted as a lot of the food was coming out of the freezer anyway, we just ate different things. I'm not being too hard on myself, it was half term and we all had a lovely week. I did a lot of watching TV and pottering around the house and the kids had a couple of days out with friends.

I hope everyone was OK after the storms. We had the back end of storm Eunice but I don't think it was any worse here than the previous storm we had the middle of last week. I did see the news about all the damage it caused, some of it was truly awful.

This week the kids are back at school and college, I don't think they have anything exciting happening and I don't have much planned apart from the usual housework. I am ready for a nice, quiet week. The weather doesn't look that great so I am planning a week of warming meals which are our favourites.

On the menu this week we have:

Monday - The roast dinner that we didn't have yesterday.
TuesdayLeftover roast dinner pie with mashed potato.
WednesdayWaffle pizza fries.
Thursday Beef and baked bean stew. I won't add the potatoes to the stew and we'll have mash again.
FridayFish & chips.
SaturdayPork and apple sausages and potato wedges.
Sunday - A fry up. Sausages, bacon, eggs, tomatoes, mushrooms, beans and toast.

I am linking up with Karen over at Cat's, Kids, Chaos who is the host of the meal planning linky. If you blog about your meal plan do come and link up!

Sunday 20 February 2022

Rainbow Roses. #MySundaySnapshot

I was spoilt on Valentine's day. I got chocolates and roses and the roses were something special. I have always wanted some rainbow roses.

When we lived in the North East and went shopping in Newcastle there was a little stall in the middle of Northumberland street, the main street in Newcastle which sold flowers and they always had the rainbow one's and I always said I would get some on the way home but usually after a day shopping with the kids getting flowers was the last thing on my mind. Stu remembered this and finally bought me a bunch. They were so pretty and are still doing so well a week later.

A rainbow rose

My Sunday Snapshot linky

Saturday 19 February 2022

Week 7 of #Project365. 12th - 18th February. A photo every day for a year!

We have had a lovely half term even with the rubbish weather. I haven't done over the past week apart from watch The new Matrix film which wasn't that good and This is Us which is amazing. I'm almost all caught up and don't want it to end. The kids have been out and about with friends and have had a great time although I feel like I have hardly seen them.

 I started writing this blog post yesterday lunchtime when the weather wasn't that bad. I hope you all stayed safe! Storm Eunice didn't hit us until about 2pm and to be honest where we are near Scunthorpe it wasn't that bad, nothing compared to down south. It must have been bad in some areas near us as the Humber Bridge was closed to all traffic and they only close that when things were bad. I do feel for those who went over the bridge for work and then had to do a 70 or 80 mile detour around to get home. 

Now for a photo every day!

Brownie dessert and rainbow roses
Afternoon tea
A book and small cakes
Junk drawers
My back garden

43/365 - 12th February
Stu and I had an early Valentine's day meal and it was all delicious but the brownie pudding and ice cream was amazing!

44/365 - 13th February
Stu got me some flowers for Valentine's day. They're still doing well even almost a week later.

45/365 - 14th February
While the girls were out Stu and I treated ourselves to an afternoon tea from Kettle and Crumb. I would go as far to say it was the best I have ever had.

46/365 - 15th February
Becky and her girlfriend have a poster of 100 dates and one was to buy each other a book which they did. Becky has been reading this one all week.

47/365 - 16th February
The PopDot cakes were back in the Co-op. This time white chocolate one's. I still prefer the strawberry one's but these were nice.

48/365 - 17th February
I finally got around to clearing out the junk drawers in the living room. Everything which doesn't have a home ends up in them. They look much emptier now.

49/365 - 18th February
The weather wasn't too bad on Friday morning, it had started raining by lunchtime.

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Friday 18 February 2022

This week my Word of the Week is: Love! #WotW

This week my Word of the Week is:

Love

It has been a week of love. Valentine's day helped with that but there has been a lot to love this week.

Stu and I had a lovely Valentine's day which we didn't plan until the last minute. We had a meal on Saturday night, an afternoon tea, which was amazing and we watched The Matrix Resurrections film which I did not love. It was just OK. At least now I can say I've seen it.

The kids have been on their half term from school and college. I have loved having the break from the routine, lazy mornings and late nights and I've loved having the kids here, well when they have actually been here. 

They have both had days out with friends. Becky went to Hull on Monday with her girlfriend, they went to the Deep aquarium and a look around the shops, They left just after 9am and didn't get back until nearly 7pm. They have one of those 100 dates posters which you scratch off when you have done the thing with you loved one and scratched off a few things. They bought a book for each other, which was on the list which made me chuckle as I didn't think either were really into reading but they sat here on Monday evening ignoring each other reading their books. 

On Tuesday both the girls were out again. Ellie went with her friends to McDonalds and back to her house where they watched YouTube and TikTok. They had a great time but I was glad to have both girls home on Wednesday, it was starting to feel like I had hardly seen them.

I have spent a lot of my week watching the TV show This is Us and I do love it. I just wish I hadn't binge watched it so much as I am on to season 5 and I know season 6 is the last and is only being released weekly on Disney+. It is such a rollercoaster watching it. One minute I am laughing, the next crying and the next shouting oh my god! I think Kate & Toby are my favourites although there has been a few moments when I have shouted at the TV "Toby, sort yourself out". lol 

This is Us is a heart warming and emotional story about a unique set of triplets, their struggles and their wonderful parents. In moments of love, joy, triumph and heartbreak, revelations emerge from parents Jack and Rebecca's past, while triplets Kate, Randall and Kevin discover deeper meaning in their present day lives.

We had a random parcel turn up the other day, my friends husband sent it, a car part computer thing for Stu to have a look at and fix. He managed to fix it last time when we lived in Northumberland. There had been talk about sending it a few months ago so it wasn't expected. It's no problem but it did give me a good excuse to have a catch up with my friend, the husband of the person who sent the parcel. Apart from pease pudding she is one of the things I miss most about our life up in the North East. It did make me feel old though, our kids used to go to school together and now they are almost all grown up. Time does fly.

Speaking of pease pudding my dad had a go at making it a few weeks ago and it was so good so we have came up with a good deal. I buy the split peas and he will make it, enough usually to last us all a couple of weeks. I have been having ham and pease pudding sandwiches most days for lunch.

How has your week been? I hope you have had a good one!

Word of the Week linky

Thursday 17 February 2022

Things we do to feel more awake in the morning!

I am not a morning person. I have tried to be but being bright eyed and bushy tailed on a morning is not just me. I get up with the kids for school and college because I have to, not because I want to. I would much rather wake up naturally at about 9am but that is not acceptable in the world that we live in. Hmmf!

A study of 2,000 adults found the average alarm is set for 6.54am, before they actually get out of bed at 7.12am. Sleepy Brits hit the alarm snooze button for at least 15 minutes each morning and function on ‘autopilot’ until they feel fully awake, half an hour after starting work.

Alarm clock

I get up most mornings just after 7am after I have hit the snooze button a few times then I don't feel awake for at least two hours.

The top 10 things we do to feel more awake in the morning!

Have a strong coffee!
I do this and sometimes it's 2 cups.

Have a hot shower!
I wish! We only have a bath and it is such a faff to run a bath, by the time it is ready to get in I am half awake and it would have to be a luke warm bath because a hot one would make me feel more sleepy.

Forcing yourself out of bed as soon as the alarm goes off!
I find this impossible to do. Most nights I think to myself that tomorrow will be the morning that I get out of bed on my first alarm but it never happens.

Stretching!
I am the master of stretching. I stretch in bed, when I get out of bed, when I get downstairs and about 30 more times before I feel fully awake.

Opening the windows!
I love to open the windows but I have to wait until my family leave the house for the day. They hate the windows being open, especially at this time of year. I do love to air the house out.

A morning walk!
I think this is where I miss doing the school run. I did used to feel more awake more quickly when I used to walk my girls to school. They are too old for that now, maybe I should go for a walk around my garden.

Making the bed!
I always wake up first, wake Stu and then I am already downstairs as he is getting out of bed. Thankfully he makes the bed.

Doing some exercise!
When everyone leaves the house I do exercise most mornings. Sometimes I have to push myself to get going but I do feel fully awake afterwards.

A glass of juice!
I always have a glass of water when I first get up. It doesn't really make me feel that awake, it just makes me need my first wee of the day more. lol

Putting music on loud!
This ties in with doing some exercise, I always have to have some music on loud.

How do you feel more awake on a morning?

Wednesday 16 February 2022

The Wizarding World Wand installation tour.

I am crazy about all things Harry Potter. I've read the books, seen the films got tons of the merchandise and of course I am a fan of the Fantastic Beasts films too. I would love to visit London and Warner Bros. The Making of Harry Potter tour, one day I will get there. Years ago we did visit Alnwick Castle where they shot the Madame Hooch's broomstick flying lesson in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. It was a great day out but living where we do now I didn't expect to see anything Harry Potter related unless I was watching the films on my TV but then I was sent an email about the Wizarding World Wand installation tour!

The Wizarding World Wand installation tour

The stunning Wizarding World Wand installation is set to visit four locations in the UK this Spring to celebrate the release of Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore, in cinemas on 8th April 2022.

The four chosen locations on the tour are Hull, Birmingham, Stoke-on-Trent and Reading. They were voted for by the public and will each host the exciting installation for seven days.

The full dates and locations are: 

Hull, Queen Victoria Square - 2nd to the 8th March.
Birmingham, the Bullring - 11th to the 17th March.
Stoke-on-Trent, Smithfield - 21st to the 27th March.
Reading, The Oracle Shopping Centre - 30th March to the 5th April.

Hull, Queen Victoria Square

Standing 15 feet tall and set within concrete bases, the nine wands bringing to life those belonging to some of the favourite characters in the Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts films will illuminate each evening, performing a light show to the thrilling music from the Fantastic Beasts and Harry Potter films. 

I will be going to see them for myself in Hull and I can't wait. I will also be taking myself off to the cinema to see Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore. I had forgot all about it until I got the email about the wands. I have seen the trailer for it and it looks fantastic.

Do you like Harry Potter and/or the Fantastic Beasts films? Will you be going to see the wand installation if it comes near you?