Friday 25 October 2019

3 Sure Fire Ways To Make Your Kids Doctor's Appointment Stress Free


If you feel like you are down at the doctor’s surgery every other week with your little darlings, you are not alone. When your cherubs start nursery or school, they are inundated with a whole host of new nasty bugs and viruses. Ear infections, tummy bugs and colds are common amongst the under fives. It can make you feel a little self conscious when you are forever making appointments with your doctor. You might worry that you are being overprotective, too needy and anxious. However, you know your child best. If you need a doctor, go to the surgery. Take a look at these simple ways you can make your visit to the surgery as stress free as possible.

Keep To Your Normal Day

While your little one may be feeling a little under the weather, it’s a good idea to keep the structure of the day as normal as possible. Give your child their favorite toy and allow them to take it to the surgery. Keep them comfortable and wrapped up warm, and if they are feeling sleepy, allow them to snuggle up to you. Often, kids will feed off of their parents anxieties, so try and keep as much normality to your day as possible. Often the best appointments to try and secure are those in the morning. Once your little darling has had breakfast, you can pop to the doctor’s and return home to carry on with your day. You can also start any medication well before bedtime, and start helping your little one to feel better.

Let Your Child Talk To The Doctor

Often, when we head to the doctor’s surgery, we see the medical staff as formal stuffy types. If you are at a surgery where the doctors are more relaxed, encourage your child to speak to them. Many doctors are great with kids. They’ll allow them to have a go with a stethoscope, and squeeze the blood pressure pump. If your child needs a vaccination, they may be worried and a good doctor can calm them down. Ensure that you allow your child to ask questions and allow them to apply their own numbing cream before their jab and let them take their time. Doctors don’t want nervous children to grow up into nervous adults, so they will be keen to put your offspring’s mind at rest.

Leave Plenty Of Time

If you are worried about your child, or your child is particularly nervous, allow plenty of time to get to your appointment. Ensure that you keep praising your little one and let them know how proud you are of them. A little bit of positive praise goes a long way. Ensure that you utilize little bribing techniques. If they head to the surgery with you, you’ll cook them their favorite dinner or you’ll pick up a magazine for them on the way home. Often, when your little darling is poorly, all they want is to be at home wrapped up in a duvet. Help them see that the doctor will make them feel better and that there is nothing to worry about.

*This is a collaborative post*

Being a responsible and loving parent means taking care of your little ones when they are under the weather. Follow this guide and you can make your kids doctor’s appointments stress free.

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Wednesday 23 October 2019

Perfect Prep To Help You Achieve A Wonderful Workout


When it comes to keeping fit and working out, it’s very easy to find yourself focusing predominantly on the workout itself. After all, that’s the bit that seems to matter the most - the times when you’ll feel the burn, reach for your goals, go above and beyond, and so on. Ultimately, it seems that the workout itself is the part of your fitness regime that will contribute most to you enjoying the best possible results, so it demands almost all of your attention. 

There’s no denying that there is some truth to the above, too. The workout does matter, and focusing on finding the right exercises, and making sure you complete them as safely as possible, will always be an important factor. However, that’s not to say that the workout is the only factor when it comes to your fitness - what happens before your workout is also fairly crucial. 

Why is workout preparation so important?

Imagine, for a moment, that your workout is like a house. The workout itself is the sections above ground; the most visible part of the entire structure (and thus receiving the most attention). Preparing for that workout, however, is the foundation - underpinning the workout and ensuring it can be successful. 

Sufficient preparation allows you to make the most of the time you spend exercising. Your workouts will be more enjoyable, more efficient, and you’ll feel better while doing them if you have good preparation underpinning your efforts. What’s more, you should find that as your fully-prepared workouts are now more pleasant, you have more motivation to work out in the future - which can be hugely helpful when it comes to reaching your fitness goals

How should you prepare for a workout?

Here are a few areas to focus on when seeking to prepare for your workout: 

  • Nutrition. You’ll need fuel for your efforts, so a snack around an hour to an hour and a half before you’re due to start exercising is recommended. Lean meat, fruit, and whole grains are all good choices, though keep portion sizes small so you don’t feel overly full when you’re actually starting to exercise. 
  • Supplements. The best pre workout supplements will ensure you have all the energy you need to enjoy your workout and improve your performance, so they’re definitely worth including in your preparatory regime. 
  • Hydration. Even if you are only intending to partake in gentle exercise such as yoga or pilates, hydration will be absolutely crucial to how you feel during your workout. It’s usually best to sip water gradually over the course of an hour before you work out to avoid feeling bloated. 
  • Comfort. Make sure all of the clothes, and the shoes, that you will be wearing are in good condition and are suitable for your intended activity. Also consider any equipment you may need to ensure you stay comfortable while exercising, such as a knee support, kinesiology tape, or a plantar fasciitis brace. 
  • Workout plan. You may find it useful to pre-plan as much of your workout as possible, making decisions regarding the machines you’re going to use, the number of reps you’re going to complete, and so on - doing so can help ensure that your workout is well-balanced and addresses each area of the body successfully. Note your plan down on paper or, if you prefer, on your phone so that you can reference it during your workout.
  • Music. If you - like many others - find working out to music is beneficial, then make sure you have a playlist or two ready to go. Also check you have headphones or earbuds with you in your gym bag and, if you’re going to be listening via your phone, that the device is charged. 
  • Mental preparation. Some people find it useful to mentally prepare for a workout, with pre-exercise meditation a particular popular choice that could help you get yourself in the right “zone” for a workout. 
  • Gym bag essentials. Last but not least, make sure you have everything else you’ll need in your gym bag; you should find that knowing you have everything you need is reassuring, and allows you to focus on the workout itself. As well as the items we have discussed above, you’ll also need a towel, shampoo, and conditioner if you’re intending to shower at the gym, your water bottle, your fitness tracker (if you use one) and anything else you might need. 

In conclusion 

We hope the information above will help you to achieve the best possible workout preparation, so you can benefit from a more enjoyable workout and achieve optimal results in the future.

*This is a collaborative post*

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Be in the Picture - Weekly Favourites 12

Welcome back to the Be in the Picture weekly roundup. Once again there were lots of wonderful pictures shared on instagram and I struggled to pick just a few favourites. I could have featured so many. If you missed the last roundup you can catch up with it here, Be in the Picture 11.



For those of you that haven't heard of #beinthepicture, it is an instagram hashtag that myself and Alana from Baby Holiday created. It is designed to encourage you to get in-front of the camera as opposed to behind it. I used to always be the one taking the pictures and I was never in them myself. 


You can use the hashtag on any pictures that feature you, whether that be fashion, parenting, travel, with your partner etc. You name it, we want to see it.

This week I've chosen some beautiful pictures of parents with their children.


First up is this stunning one by @parissemansky:






The next picture I chose is from @carolynkpan:




Next up I chose this super cute pic by @emilyandindiana:




The last picture I chose is from @christinehull:



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Laying on the hammock with my baby girl, she was telling me stories, I was laughing like crazy. We were taking pictures together, I had the camera on a timer and this one was instantly my favorite. But...I really hesitated to post it. Even now sitting here looking at it I can’t help but see the melasma on my forehead and the double chin. Uggg why do we do that to ourselves ladies? Instead I am going to embrace this photo as a moment of pure joy with my sweet little girl who could care less about melasma or chins. She only cares that her mama is hearing all her songs and silly stories. Do me a favor mamas...get in the picture. . . . . . . . #itsahullabaloolife #ownyoureveryday #motivationalquoteoftheday #beinthepicture #skincarelove #specialneedsmom #myhonestmotherhood #mommyof3 #purposefulparenting #thoughtsbecomethings #documentingmotherhood #workingmomlife #messy_motherhood #mamapreneur #goodnewsfeed #raisinggirls #healthymomlife #momentsinmotherhood #christianmomlife #skinlove #healthymoms #mamahoodinsquares #healthymama #mombosslife #instamamagang #aginggracefully #momsinthepicture #makingmemories
A post shared by 𝙸𝚝’𝚜 𝚊 𝙷𝚞𝚕𝚕𝚊𝚋𝚊𝚕𝚘𝚘 𝙻𝚒𝚏𝚎 (@christinehull) on

For the next roundup I'm hoping to feature some fashion pics so be sure to be joining in with the hashtag over on instagram for a chance to be featured. #beinthepicture 
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Sunday 20 October 2019

3 Tips for planning your family Christmas

It is happening, it is that time of year. The shops are putting their Christmas cards and decorations out, selection boxes and Advent calendars are popping up all over the supermarkets and you know that the minute that Halloween is over, the Christmas music will be playing, all day, every day. Whether you are a ‘think about in December' kind of person or ‘buying gifts since the January sales’ kind of person, there is just no getting around the fact that Christmas is now firmly on the horizon which means that plans can now be made. That is why today we want to share with you 3 tips for planning your family Christmas. 



Planning the gift lists

Some years this one can go smoothly and at other times it is a struggle. You might have had a brilliant idea for what you can buy your children, or they might be begging for a certain something which, as long as it is within your budget, makes this much easier.  

Start creating a list full of ideas for your children and everyone else that you need to get a gift for. Jot down your budget next to it to help to keep you on track as this can easily get out of hand otherwise. 

If your little one simply does not need any more toys, books, or clothes, perhaps something else would excite them? You could book experiences in for them, such as theatre nights or trips to the zoo, or surprise them with a new-look bedroom
We would suggest that whether you are looking for video game consoles at Latest Deals or searching eBay for collectibles that you shop around for the best buys and voucher codes so that you manage to get all that you need within budget. 

Planning the food

The food at Christmas is such a big part of the season and so it is important that you plan to have everything covered.

Pop to your usual supermarket to find out when all of the Christmas range comes out, and if you shop online, make sure that you know when the Christmas delivery slots are released so that you can snag a good one immediately. 

Ask your family what their favourites are for the big day itself, and then stock up on the nibbles that you all enjoy. 

Planning the fun

This one is possibly the best bit, as you need to plan plenty of fun activities, traditions and outings.

If you have young children the chances are that you are going to want to pay a visit to Father Christmas. Get this one booked in early as the most popular events and times tend to get booked up very quickly. 

There will then be those traditions that are special to your family, or traditions that you want to create. They might be family get-togethers, the day that you buy the tree or put it up, family Christmas film nights, making a gingerbread house or baking cookies or a trip to a nearby shopping centre or stately home to see the lights and decorations. 

This one will be personal to you and your family, you just need to ensure that you are planning things in across December so that you are confident that you will get to do everything and enjoy it all. 

*This is a collaborative post*
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