6 Ways to spread kindness during lockdown

*This post contains affiliate links  Lockdown has affected all of our lives in one way or another but the most important thing we can do is follow the guidelines and stay at home because that really does save lives and at the end of the day that's what we want to do most of all. For many of us, we are missing friends and family as well as the routine of our normal daily lives and we are at a loss of what we can do to help and make our friends, family and community a better place but there are ways to spread kindness and hope even from our living rooms and I thought I would share a few ways to encourage positivity and community feel from home. 1. Paint Colourful rainbows I'm sure by now many of you have seen rainbow paintings in the windows of houses on your daily exercise allowance and it's a lovely creative way for children and adults to get involved, bring some colour to your street and show your thanks to the NHS. It's budget-friendly and such an easy w......

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Ways to cope with stressful life events

*This post contains affiliate links  From what I can see on social media and in the news, many people are finding this current situation with the pandemic stressful and in many ways traumatic especially if you have ill family members you cannot visit or be close with. Of course, this is not the only type of traumatic life event many will experience, things such as childbirth can take a lot to recover from, illness, separation or even smaller things like changes in your job or issues you may have had at school. I had an accident a few years ago which meant having ACL reconstructive surgery on my knee, followed by another surgery 2yrs later and the recovering both mentally and physically took longer than I imagined and I learnt a lot along the way. I had months of immobility which hit me hard as I am such an active person, along with lots of physiotherapies, wearing a metal brace on my 24hrs a day and having to use crutches or a wheelchair on longer journeys, wish I'd had a po......

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5 real changes we can make for a more sustainable future

*This post contains affiliate links  Despite the stressful and scary situation the virus has put the world in, I also feel there are some positives to all of this, for many self-quarantine and lockdown has given us all a lot of time to reflect on how we want to move forward post Covid-19 and it's also been pretty clear how our lifestyles and general society affects the earth. This strange time has allowed for some breathing space for mother nature, who seems to be really benefitting from fewer cars on the road, factories being shut temporarily, less noise and air pollution which has also meant a reduction in carbon dioxide which contributes towards problems such as global warming. People are noticing more birds in the sky, more wildlife returning to green spaces and places like Venice where the canals have slowly started to become clearer, have seen a return in a variety of sea creatures and birds to the canals. While there is a strong and ever-growing movement towards su......

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How to feed your wanderlust during lockdown

I grew up with an expat mother and a father who loved to travel, especially off the beaten path, so between the two, it meant that travel was a priority to us and we went without so we could great memories over material things. That ethos and way of life is something I have been trying to do with my own kids and because of this, it meant having to cancel a few trips before and during this lockdown period. Don't get me wrong we put the health and priority of our community and country first, we are fully acceptant of the situation and are not dwelling on the travels that have had but that doesn't mean we can't still embrace the wanderlust way of life even when we are restricted to our homes all day except for our 1hr exercise allowance. The great thing about life in 2020 is how digitally accessible so much is, if you fancy a walk post the Colluiseum all you have to do is pop over google street maps and you're there. Also unlike the days of having to visit the v......

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20 Ways for kids to connect with nature during lockdown

We all know that getting outdoors, in the fresh air and connecting with nature can be beneficial for both our physical and mental wellbeing at all ages so striking the balance between being safe, following government guidelines and still keeping a connection with nature, especially for my two young boys has been a priority of late. While the world feels anything but normal having a sense of normality for a family unit is important as children will without a doubt also feel any stress or worry an adult is exhibiting. Unlike some other European countries we are still able to go outside, for an hour, once a day for exercise and as long as it's safe for you to do so, especially if you don't have a garden, terrace or a balcony, I would encourage you to use this time, to help with perspective, mental health and physical wellbeing for not only the adults but also children. The focus should remain on exploring your local environment, staying within walking distance of your ho......

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Quick and Easy last minute Easter ideas

With everything else going on in the world right now I think many of us are a little behind in our Easter preparation of at least it's taken a bit of a back burner. Yet we still want our children to have a magical time and a sense of normality in a world that doesn't feel normal right now. If you have felt exhausted and taken too much on here are a few simple ideas on getting that Easter spirit back into your home. 1. Bake easy easter Biscuits - baking is often a hit with kids of all ages and making Easter biscuits is a fun activity, as well as a tasty one and children, love to decorate them. Here is a super easy recipe 100g unsalted butter, chilled and cut into cubes 100g wholemeal flour (you can also just use plain flour) 50g plain flour 1 tbsp cocoa powder 50g caster sugar 2/3 tbsp milk or soya milk Sprinkles and icing for decorating 1. Preheat over to 180 degrees/ gas mark 4 2. In a mixing bowl rub the butter into the flour until it resembles breadcrumbs. ......

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How the older generation can stay social during the virus outbreak

*This post contains affiliate links  It is without a doubt a strange and stressful time for all, we are all adjusting to this new reality of restricted movement, social distancing and not being able to spend as much time with our loved ones and that, of course, can lead to things like loneliness especially with the older generation. I can't wait for my kids to hug their grandmother again and for me to have a proper conversation over coffee with my mother. Luckily however she shares her home with my older brother which means she has company which gives me a lot of peace of mind otherwise she would be on her own. I'm made me think about how important it is to still stay social at any age, especially when you're over 50 and so I thought I would share a few ways we can do that and encourage our old family members to get involved. A lot of people in their mid-40's upwards are very social media savvy and will already be using things like Facebook, Twitter and t......

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How well do you know your coffee?

*This blog post contains affiliate links  A good cup of coffee is a bit like a glass of fine wine, a lot goes into the process from bean to cup and different types can make a huge difference when it comes to taste, strength and overall drinking experience. Being a coffee drinker myself, I love learning more about this process and I'm proud to say I've drunk some of the rarest coffee in the world - Saint Helena Coffee from the Island of St Helena which I visited by cargo ship over a decade ago and was able to visit one of the coffee plantations on this small island. That experience alone opened my eyes to the journey that coffee takes and since then I have been keen to learn more and after my trip to St Helena, I also spent time working as a Barista. So how well do you know your coffee? I thought I would break down some of the basics and I hope you learn something new from this post. So here is my Guide to Arabica & Robusta Coffee Beans with Halo Coffee . Fir......

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