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WIN £100 or £25 of BuyAGift vouchers.

Today is a good day. I get to share a competition with you. I have partnered up with some of the best UK bloggers to offer you the chance to win £100 or £25 of BuyAGift vouchers. I love a giveaway and there is nothing better than being able to thank you all for following me and supporting me than being able to offer one of you the chance to win an incredible prize. 

Come on who doesn't love BuyAGift. What have you got in your basket that you wish you could buy but just can't justify the money at the moment? A weekend break, A spa day? skydiving?  Well If you win this amazing giveaway you will be able to treat yourself to something special The choice is the winners. 

I wish you all luck and happy entering. 



For today's competition, we have two prizes to offer you. The first prize is a £100 BuyAGift Voucher and the second prize is a £25 BuyAGift voucher. Both of these awesome prizes will come in handy for Christmas this year. What will you buy with your voucher?

Who Brings You This Competition?

A collaboration of bloggers have got together to bring this prize to you, the prize comes out of their pocket as a thank you for supporting them over the past year. You will find the links below, please pop over and visit them. You never know, you might find a blog that you really relate to. Sometimes we think we are the only person going through something, when in fact there are others. These bloggers share their ups and downs so that nobody ever feels alone. 


Spilling Life Tea / Weddings And Wishes / Extreme Frugal Living / A Year Of Food Things That Start With / Yorkshire Wonders / Life In A Breakdown / Miss Makeup Magpie / Makeup Muddle / The Lifestyle Blogger UK / Socially Rach / The Grumpy Olive / Stylish London Living / Catch Up With Claire / Wot A Woman Diary / Ruthie Loves Glamour / Being Tillys Mummy / Life Lessons With Vicky /Joanna Victoria / Alice In Sheffield / Ecoralive / Insequiral / Fox And Flora / The Best Things To Do In Cambridge / Mind Over Money Matters / Cotswold Lifestyle /  Frugal Home Project / 


How Can I Enter This Competition?

In order to be entered to win the vouchers, you need to leave a comment on the blog post. Click on the rafflecopter and it gives you the instructions to do this. Then there are other options to follow the bloggers on their social media. The more entries that you complete, the more chances you have of winning a voucher (or even both vouchers). You don't have to complete all of the entries to be entered, but each one you complete is an entry. 


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Terms And Condition

  • UK Entries only.

  • Blog comments must be over 8 words long otherwise it usually goes to the spam file.

  • This is a collaborated competition and is not associated with Buyagift or any other company.

  • You must be over 18 to enter this competition.

  • You don’t need to enter all of the other requirements but if you do say you have completed them, please ensure that you have. Otherwise, your entry is void.

  • You have 28 days to claim your prize or another winner will be chosen. 

  • After you have claimed your prize, you will receive the voucher within 28 days


4 Reasons You Need an Airfryer

Even if you haven’t got an air fryer, I’m sure you’ve heard of them. Air fryers are this magical appliance that creates healthy fried food. I know, now there’s an oxymoron if ever I heard one! 


But what exactly is an air fryer and how does it fry with air? 


An airfryer is similar to a convection oven, in that it circulates hot air around food to cook it quickly and evenly. The result is food that has the taste and texture of fried food but with a lot less fat and calories. 


Magic, indeed. (Okay, it’s technically science, not magic, but magic is more fun.) 


So, apart from an air fryer making healthy fried food, why else should you buy an airfryer? 


Everyone loves gadgets

If you’re like me, you’ll want every handy gadget and appliance for the kitchen going. If you’re also like me, you might not have the space for yet another kitchen gadget but air fryers come in all shapes and sizes. 


So, if you’ve got a small kitchen or maybe you just don’t want yet another appliance cluttering up your pristine Topsco worktop, don’t worry, air fryers come in compact versions too. The smaller versions are also perfect for those who live alone or have a small family and don’t need to make enough chips to feed ten people. 

Air fryers are versatile 

Although the first thing anyone does when they get an air fryer is cook homemade chips, fries or wedges in it and then marvel over how crispy they are even without oil, you don’t have to restrict yourself to fried food. Oh no. 


Anything frozen can be heated up quicker in an air fryer than it would cook in your oven, you can make toasties in one and of course, a healthy diet needs vegetables and veggies in an air fryer are delicious. 


Also, you can make sweet stuff like cakes, cookies and muffins in an air fryer too. Mmm, cake… You’re hovering over that ‘buy now’ button right now, aren’t you? 


They’re easy to clean

If you’ve been put off buying a deep fat fryer because of the hassle of cleaning it, but hanker for deep fried deliciousness, you’re going to love an air fryer. The baskets in an air fryer are non-stick and therefore a breeze to clean. You can even put them in the dishwasher (just the basket, not the whole thing). 


Airfryers are a safe way to fry food

It probably goes without saying but air fryers are a much safer way to fry food. I don’t know if chip pans are still a thing, or I’m just showing my age, but because an airfryer isn’t full of oil, it’s not going to catch fire and burn your house down if it gets too hot. 


Even if chip pans are no longer a thing, you don’t have the danger of hot oil splattering up at you like you do from a frying pan. 


(I’ve just looked up chip pans and they are still a thing. They’re also the largest cause of house fires in the UK.)


With an airfryer, you turn it on, set the timer, put the food in the basket and then you can walk away, leaving it to do its stuff while you do something else like prepare the rest of the dinner or look at cat videos on YouTube. 


Now you know how brilliant air fryers are, all you have to do now is decide which one to buy and what to cook in it first! 


 





5 easy ways to include self care into being productive.

We are living in a fast-paced modern world and sometimes I think we are all moving a little fast. We all need to take some time to slow down and appreciate what we have and what we are doing in the here and now. We can all be guilty of not living in the moment and not taking time to really rest and reflect on our achievements and milestones.


Today I want to talk about ways we give our self some productive self-care time. We are all guilty of burning the candle at both ends and right now. There is a lot of pressure to make up for a lost time. There are more events and parties to attended than ever before. and before you know it it's Monday morning again and you are wondering what happened on your days off. 


It is really important to take some time out from your busy mind and from letting yourself run at a hundred miles per minute. Yes, we have all done it but we need to learn to do more for ourselves and let our minds switch off and relax. This doesn't mean sitting in a dark room with only your thoughts for comfort unless of course, you want to. What I am talking about is being productive and doing some self-care. 

1. Go a walk or run 

Get your trainers out and go for a walk or a run. It has been proven that people who spend time in the outdoors live happier lives. Not only will you be able to take some time by yourself with your thoughts but you will also be getting in your steps and getting some exercise. We all know how important exercise is and we all know we need to take some time out so this is the perfect way to do both. 

2.  Clean your house

Yes, this is a nesscessy evil that we all do. But it is the perfect time to let your brain switch off and just focus on cleaning. I am not meaning the quick once over. I mean get down and dirty and do a big scrub this has been known to be really relaxing. I am one of those strange people who loves a good deep clean. I feel refreshed and energised when I know my house is clean and tidy. They say a tidy house has a tidy mind, don't they? 


3. Sort out and print your photos. 

Do you remember when we actually had to have every photo we took printed and would spend the night making photo albums. Well, I say we bring that back and modernise it. I mean who doesn't like looking at old photos. 


Nowadays we all take about 30 photos of the same thing and never do anything with them. How about making a photo book to keep all your special photos in one place. I love photo books I like to make them not only for myself but as gifts for loved ones. I find making photo books really relaxing. I like spending time looking for the perfect photos and adding them to pages with fun memories. 


Photo books are greats as I love the feeling of having a hard copy of my photos that I can actually look at in book form. Sometimes I think I look at a screen too much and there is nothing nicer than having a physical book to look at my photos it's so refreshing. 


Not only are you distracting your mind with sorting out your photos but you are also clearing up you phone or camera memory and regaining storage. 

4. Try meditation. 

I have been doing lots of research into meditation. I used to do this a lot more when I was really suffering from anxiety. I read a study that said taking 5 minutes a day to sit still and meditate can actually make you more productive. Real meditation is not about turning off your thoughts and feeling but being able to really acknowledge them and doing so without judgement. 


Meditation has been said to improve our immune system lower blood pressure and promotes creative thinking. We could all do with trying meditation and seeing if this type of self-care can help us in our lives. 

5 Stretching or yoga. 

No matter how active or none active you are. You should be stretching your body. I am a trained sports masseuse and I can promise you taking even just 5 minutes a day to stretch or practise yoga will have amazing health benefits. Now we all know that we should be stretching our muscles but just like with meditation stretching and yoga have proven mental benefits too. 


We all put our bodies through a lot. We walk, we run, we cycle, we twist our bodies in funny ways to pick things up off the floor or off that just a little bit too high shelf. We are all guilty of this and then we wonder how we have pulled a muscle and why it is taking forever to heal. Think of your body as a machine you need to treat it nice and do lots of maintenance for it to run properly. This is the same concept with our bodies and minds. 


All these are easy to incorporate into your life. These will help you not only be productive but also add in some much needed switching off and me time. We all need to add more me time and self-care to our routines so that we can live longer and happier lives. 


I hope you found this post helpful. 

Is Your Child Going Through A Difficult Period? These Tips Might Help

 Recently, our communities and the rest of the globe have been impacted by a lingering worldwide epidemic, political turmoil, as well as other tragedies involving violence and stress. Especially in the wake of recent alarming headlines and real-time photos on social media, many families, adults, and children alike, are facing increased emotions of powerlessness, tension, and anxiety. Children, even those who are not directly affected by a catastrophe, are at risk of experiencing elevated levels of anxiety, which can have a negative impact on their behavior and overall feeling of well-being during these trying times. 


In the aftermath of a catastrophe, it is normal for everyone to experience some level of worry; however, when children and teens perceive the world as a frightening place, they experience increased anxiety that might manifest itself in observable and undesirable behaviors that parents and teachers may observe.



Image via Pexels CC0 License


When children are exposed to unpleasant or upsetting experiences, they may develop anxieties about their own safety as well as concerns about the safety of their guardians. If a younger child experiences increased anxiety about separations, he or she may refuse to go to school and cry, cling to their parents, or become agitated when forced to separate. If a child or adolescent is suffering excessive anxiety or stress, they may experience internal symptoms that are not readily evident to others. These symptoms may include persistent sensations of worry, uneasiness, or a sense of being on edge. Anger, difficulty concentrating, disengagement, and acting-out behaviors are all possible outcomes of these emotions and feelings.


A number of children and teenagers may experience sleeping difficulties or suffer from negative, worrying thoughts that they are unable to overcome. Excessive anxiety induced by sirens, news stories, or another stressor can activate the body's natural response to danger, known as the "fight or flight" response, which can create stomach butterflies and a racing heart, among other symptoms. It is normal for children and teenagers to be concerned about frightening occurrences that occur in their lives. When people hear about fires, shootings, acts of terrorism, and uprooted communities, they may become concerned about their own safety and worry about what might happen if something goes wrong. Examples include wondering what they would do in a similar scenario, imagining what they would do in a similar situation, and discussing how they may help or receive support. Children as young as three years old can act out hypothetical disaster and rescue scenarios in their play. 


Talk to your youngster in a calm and collected manner. Encourage them to ask questions and express their thoughts and emotions. It can be comforting for them to know that their concerns are understandable. When your child is concerned about the "what ifs," you should demonstrate and express calm, reasonable thinking, and problem-solving in order to alleviate their concerns. 


Using this information, you will be able to better comprehend what has been said to them, what questions they may have, and what may be the actual source of their concerns and fears. Understanding a child's specific concerns is an important first step in assisting them in working through their fears and tough feelings. 


It is crucial to be aware of what is going on, but avoid being exposed to violent images or news videos that could cause anxiety or overwhelming feelings of fear and despair. Choose the facts you want to share with your child and explain it in a style that is acceptable for his or her age.


Simple healthy routines such as eating nutritious foods, going for walks as a family, and having consistent bedtimes can help to provide a sense of predictability and comfort for children. Take time to unwind and relax with your partner while focusing on pleasant things. When children are afraid, an increased connection can help to alleviate their worried feelings. 


Sharing news of happy events from the day, as well as practicing gratitude expressions, can assist to build pleasant emotions and reduce feelings of anxiousness.


Chronic, excessive anxiety can have a negative impact on a child's or teen's ability to perform, as well as their health and well-being. Many older children or teenagers may fall in with peer pressure and use illegal drugs and alcohol to try and block it out, while others may engage in criminal activities. If this happens, you will want a team of exceptional criminal defense attorneys to help them.


The world is a challenging place right now, and children and young people may need more support and guidance than ever. Hopefully, these tips will help you and your child stay calm and deal with whatever is thrown your way.


Making Your Home The Most Comfortable Place On The Planet

A lot of people would name their idea of home somewhere they belong, and it doesn’t necessarily have to be the place that you’re currently living. However, you can make your current living space feel like your own home, but it’s going to take your time, love, and care. Making your living space into a home is a big deal, and you should have somewhere you can go whenever you want to where you feel truly comfortable and happy. Your living space can be that place, and you should absolutely aim to achieve that if you get the chance.


Source


Security


One of the more important things you should cover when trying to make your home more comfortable for you is security. If you don’t feel safe in your home, no amount of renovating or investment in the things that you enjoy is going to help you feel comfortable. Security can mean a lot, but making sure to at least have the minimum to keep your home secure is a must. For example, having an alarm on entrances where you fear someone might try to intrude, or a small camera to keep watch. Even having these security appliances installed in your home would be enough to make you feel safer, as they are sure to keep would-be intruders away.


Putting any amount of time or money into the security of your home can go a long way, and you’ll be more comfortable in no time at all.


Smart home


It’s not nearly an essential addition to your home, so if you’re hesitant with your money, then it might not be the change for you. However, smart home appliances in the home can make a big difference when it comes to your own personal comfort. You can gain more control over your home without having to make any effort at all. Controlling the thermostat, the lights, cameras - all from your smart device. It’s a luxury that many people are gaining an interest in, and if you would prefer to feel like you’re in total control of what happens in your home; then this is something for you to consider! 


Smart appliances can come in many different forms, and a quick search online will help you find something that might be right for you.


Insulation


Feeling comfortable in your home all throughout the year is important, and during those colder months in the winter, it can be hard to keep the warmth. Not only can it be difficult, but it can also be expensive; which is why you might consider making some changes to your home in the way of insulation. There are a few ways you can make your home warmer, and it can be pretty pricey if your home is quite old.


First of all, updating or upgrading the insulation that you have within the walls of your home can be a great help when it comes to keeping the place warm. You’ll find that you have to spend much less on your heating bills. So while it’s a big investment to make upfront, it will pay for itself down the line.


You may also consider updating your windows and such to stronger and thicker ones. Older houses with single-glazed windows don’t do a lot to keep the cold out, and you’ll find that investing in double or even triple-glazing could do a lot to help your home maintain the heat during the colder seasons.


Home comforts


Possibly one of the most important things you should consider investing in is what you feel you might need. Many people are living without high-quality furniture like a good mattress, or a nice chair to spend their evenings in, and that can make a big difference to your home-living experience. Having higher quality things when it comes to places of comfort can change a lot, and you should consider making that investment as soon as possible. If you’re lacking a good bed, it’s not only going to affect your comfort, but your sleep might suffer as a result too; and as an extension of your mood.


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Personalize


If you’re recently moved into your new living space or haven’t spent much time making the place feel more like you - you might find that’s what it’s lacking. Put up some pictures! Have some things around the place that reflect on you, what you enjoy. It’s important to have these things as they’re truly what makes a place feel like home. Even if there are things you enjoy but are afraid to put on display - remember that it’s your home, and it’s for you to feel comfortable.


Must-have appliances


Many people who haven’t invested much money into their homes are lacking a lot of appliances that could bring them much more comfortable. Even if it’s smaller things that could make your life easier like a microwave, or something bigger like a cooling solution from these online appliance spares. They’re important to have, as they can be life-savers when you’re in need of them. In the summer, when it’s too hot to be inside, having air conditioning can make your home a much more comfortable place.


Microwaves aren’t great for every meal, but they’re the perfect solution for when you want something quick and easy, and you don’t want to put much work into cooking. Everyone needs a break from responsibilities once in a while, and a microwave can help with that along with its many other uses.


Get inspired


It’s not everyone’s natural skill to have an eye for decoration, and it’s not always easy to learn it. It can help if you find ways to get inspired. For example, a great way to inspire you to make changes within your own home is to see how others are doing it. Check online, and you’ll find there are plenty of examples you can use to get some ideas for yourself, and possibly save money if you would have been unsure before seeing it for yourself.


How To Celebrate A Family Reunion

How often do you all get together as a family? Christmas? Some birthdays, maybe? It’s safe to say that it probably is not as often as you might like. What is more, the last 18 months have seen families kept apart more than ever. Chances are your family get-togethers have been held via Zoom and with absent members who cannot navigate the technology. There has never been a better time to get together as a family and host that overdue Christmas day or simple family reunion and here are some ways you celebrate it. 

A traditional meal

Do you have a traditional family meal that you can all get nostalgic over? Perhaps something you all used to eat as children or a particular dish that was always enjoyed together. Perhaps Granny is known for her infamous roast potatoes or Aunt Sue makes a mean tiramisu. Whatever is personal to your family, get in the kitchen and whip up your family culinary  tradition to enjoy it together. 


Alternatively, you could have a family bake-off. Each family member prepares a typical dish that reminds them of their family and their family history. Everyone else has to undertake a blind taste test to see if they can identify the dish and what the associated family memory is. 


Photo credit; Rodnae Productions from Pexels

A native gift or theme. 

Perhaps you want to treat each other with a gift at your family reunion. Can you think of something that represents your family? Are you a family of golfers for example who would enjoy golf-themed presents or party pieces? Or perhaps you are of Irish descent and you could celebrate by gifting white gold Irish jewelry or toast over baileys and Irish coffee. Find a theme that fits with your family and celebrate it.

Prepare a family tree

A great way to celebrate the family coming together is by putting assembling a family tree. Start with the youngest members of the family and work your way back. Consider using sites such as Ancestry to fill any gaps or asking the older family members about their lineage. It is a great excuse to get out the old photographs and look back over the decades.

A family photo book

Ask everybody who is attending the reunion to bring a handful of photos of themselves and their parents from over the years. Photos documenting major milestones or life events that can be put together in a family photo album. This is a great way of bringing everyone together, share stories and reminisce over time gone by. It is sure to get everyone smiling, or cringing at least once.

Share stories and memories

Everyone will have their own special memories of their family history. Whether it is of relatives who are no longer present, happy holidays, funny tales or moments they would rather forget. Take it in turns to share a treasured memory or funny story over dinner. It is a great way to get the younger generations interested in their family history and provide a moment of nostalgia for everyone.