Next up in my Disney quotes for mindfulness series is 'The Lion King'. These quotes help me on the days when I am struggling with my PND. There were so many to choose from in this film. I probably could've written this whole post based on quotes from Rafiki.
1) Everything will be ok in the end. If it is not okay, it's not the end
2) Look inside yourself. You are more than what you have become
3) HAKUNA MATATA - It means no worries, for the rest of your days
4) Never forget who you are
5) Look beyond what you can see
6) Change is good but it's not easy
7) The past can hurt, but the way I see it, you can either run from it or learn from it
8) Everything you see exists together in a delicate balance
9) You got to put your past behind you
10) Being brave doesn't mean you go looking for trouble
11) As you go through life you'll see there is so much we don't understand, and the only thing we know is things don't always go the way we planned
12) More people would learn from their mistakes if they weren't so busy denying them
13) If today is the worst day of your life then you know tomorrow will be better
14) Can you feel the love tonight?
15) Life's greatest adventure is finding your place in the circle of life
If you enjoyed this post, make sure you check out the previous ones in this series:
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Ophelia has been confidently walking and running (running mostly) for a while now, so we thought it was time to get her some sort of bike. After much research and asking friends, we were recommended a Toddlebike. This was not something hubby and I had heard of before. With Eva, she went straight to a normal bike and she still struggles riding it, even now. She's not very confident on it at all.
As luck would have it, we were asked if Ophelia would like to try out the Toddlebike2 so we jumped at the chance. We chose to receive a pink one but it also comes in blue and red.
When it arrived, I thought we'd been sent an empty box. Normally when we get a parcel, I end up asking the poor postman to bring it into the house but this time when he handed it over, I was rather perplexed.
You hear the word bike and automatically assume it'll be heavy but this one is honestly as light as a feather. Even Ophelia can pick it up. It actually weighs less than 1kg.
It also arrives fully assembled!! Anyone that has had to put together a bike or any children's toy will know just how frustrating that can be so this was fab to see.
The bike is designed for children who are confident in walking so around the age of 18 months old, until they are ready for a big bike.The Toddlebike helps improve little one's confidence in their balance which will then help then in the future when it comes to learning to ride an actual bike.
Whenever Ophelia isn't riding it around, Eva is on it. Luckily it has been tested up to 100kg so older siblings are fine to test it out, just prepare yourself for the arguments. The girls always end up fighting when the other one has it but that's typical sibling rivalry at its best.
Ophelia took to the Toddlebike straight away. Some children need a bit of practice but others will be just like Ophelia. The minute she sat on it she knew what to do. She whizzes around the house thinking she's the bee's knees. The handle bars and seat aren't adjustable but they are within easy reach.
My favourite feature is definitely how light it is. The bike has come around everywhere with us. It goes on the school run (such a godsend as it gets Ophelia and me, there and back quicker). It has been to the beach with us and it has also been on our recent caravan holiday. It's small enough to pop in the car and not take up too much room. You can even pop it on your stroller or in the basket. We also regularly take it to grandparent's houses to keep Ophelia entertained.
The bike can even go through water which is great fun for kiddies that love puddles. It is water and rust proof and therefore all weather fun.
Ophelia loves everything about this bike. It's honestly one of the best things we've got for her in a long time.
You can purchase the Toddlebike2 for £23.95 here, http://www.toddlebike.co.uk/shop but I have a 10% discount code you can use to help with your Christmas shopping. Simply add BLOG17 for your discount.
*Thank you to Toddlebike2 for sending us the bike in exchange for this blog post*
As luck would have it, we were asked if Ophelia would like to try out the Toddlebike2 so we jumped at the chance. We chose to receive a pink one but it also comes in blue and red.
When it arrived, I thought we'd been sent an empty box. Normally when we get a parcel, I end up asking the poor postman to bring it into the house but this time when he handed it over, I was rather perplexed.
You hear the word bike and automatically assume it'll be heavy but this one is honestly as light as a feather. Even Ophelia can pick it up. It actually weighs less than 1kg.
It also arrives fully assembled!! Anyone that has had to put together a bike or any children's toy will know just how frustrating that can be so this was fab to see.
The bike is designed for children who are confident in walking so around the age of 18 months old, until they are ready for a big bike.The Toddlebike helps improve little one's confidence in their balance which will then help then in the future when it comes to learning to ride an actual bike.
Whenever Ophelia isn't riding it around, Eva is on it. Luckily it has been tested up to 100kg so older siblings are fine to test it out, just prepare yourself for the arguments. The girls always end up fighting when the other one has it but that's typical sibling rivalry at its best.
Ophelia took to the Toddlebike straight away. Some children need a bit of practice but others will be just like Ophelia. The minute she sat on it she knew what to do. She whizzes around the house thinking she's the bee's knees. The handle bars and seat aren't adjustable but they are within easy reach.
My favourite feature is definitely how light it is. The bike has come around everywhere with us. It goes on the school run (such a godsend as it gets Ophelia and me, there and back quicker). It has been to the beach with us and it has also been on our recent caravan holiday. It's small enough to pop in the car and not take up too much room. You can even pop it on your stroller or in the basket. We also regularly take it to grandparent's houses to keep Ophelia entertained.
The bike can even go through water which is great fun for kiddies that love puddles. It is water and rust proof and therefore all weather fun.
Ophelia loves everything about this bike. It's honestly one of the best things we've got for her in a long time.
You can purchase the Toddlebike2 for £23.95 here, http://www.toddlebike.co.uk/shop but I have a 10% discount code you can use to help with your Christmas shopping. Simply add BLOG17 for your discount.
*Thank you to Toddlebike2 for sending us the bike in exchange for this blog post*
This Christmas gift guide will focus on ideas for men which will include stocking fillers and presents.
1) Living DNA Ancestry Test*
This is such a unique and fascinating gift. The Living DNA Ancestry test allows you to view your ancestry going back up to 10 generations. It covers not only your family line history but also that of your mother and father. You simply take a swab, pop it in the post and then once that is analysed your results will be online. I think this is such a cool, personalised gift for someone. If you pop back to my blog in a few weeks you will see my results.
2) Aftershave
Aftershave always makes a great stocking filler and I often go to Boots to buy it as they have great discounts and advantage card offers this time of year.
3) Shaver*
The Braun Series 3 is a great size for a stocking filler or a gift on its own. It's a rechargeable, electric shaver, that charges faster than others. The 3-pressure sensitive shaving elements adapt perfectly to every facial contouring shave in intuitive straight lines.
4) Lego
There are so many awesome lego sets out at the moment that you'd be spoilt for choice. Any of the new Star Wars sets would be perfect with the upcoming film release and a must for any Star Wars fanatics.
5) Socks*
Socks and underwear always seem like the cliché gift but yet most of the time they secretly love to receive them. Mainline Menswear have a wide selection available by some great brands. The Tommy Hilfiger 4 pack of socks arrive in a lovely, festive tin that could be used afterwards for storing things (if you know someone with a man drawer, then you'll know how many small things they have in there).
The Braun Series 3 is a great size for a stocking filler or a gift on its own. It's a rechargeable, electric shaver, that charges faster than others. The 3-pressure sensitive shaving elements adapt perfectly to every facial contouring shave in intuitive straight lines.
4) Lego
There are so many awesome lego sets out at the moment that you'd be spoilt for choice. Any of the new Star Wars sets would be perfect with the upcoming film release and a must for any Star Wars fanatics.
5) Socks*
Socks and underwear always seem like the cliché gift but yet most of the time they secretly love to receive them. Mainline Menswear have a wide selection available by some great brands. The Tommy Hilfiger 4 pack of socks arrive in a lovely, festive tin that could be used afterwards for storing things (if you know someone with a man drawer, then you'll know how many small things they have in there).
Image from Mainline Menswear Website
6) Gift Experience
I always love to give a gift experience as a gift. Red Letter Days has lots of different ones on their website from foodie experiences to extreme adventure. There is something unique for everyone. I can't recommend the Go Below Ultimate Xtreme underground adventure enough. Both my hubby and I loved it. You can see more of it by watching my youtube video or reading the experience here, Go Below Experience.
That's it for my ideas. What do you normally buy for any men in your life? I always find them pretty tricky.
Catch up with my other gift guides here:
*These items were gifted to me to include in a gift guide*
You may remember that in my last Me and Mine project post, I was annoyed that I hadn't taken many family pictures during our holiday (you can recap here, Me and Mine). Well, I'm ashamed to say i've not improved. It is so hard to find someone to get a pic of all of us and we always forget to take the tripod with us whenever we go anywhere.
At the beginning of the month we were invited to Cardiff's Winter Wonderland for their opening evening. We got to try out everything from the rides to the ice-skating. Eva remembered it from last year so she couldn't wait to go. She was slightly nervous on the ice but i'm sure in her head she thought she was Elsa from Frozen. Ophelia loved the rides. It honestly made our night seeing her little face on one of the kids rides. She was ecstatic. You can find out more about our night here, Cardiff's Winter Wonderland. We're hoping to return before we go on holiday.
Towards the end of the month we had Ophelia's 2nd birthday. We took her on a day out during the day whilst Eva was at school and then threw her a tea party in the house for family at night. She is a Disney obsessed child (she would be having me as her mum) so we had to decide between a Frozen or Moana themed party. We've had to do Frozen a few times already with Eva so we decided on Moana. She was so happy when she saw all of the decorations. She didn't quite understand what was going on but she enjoyed it none the less.
We didn't manage to get many pictures that night of all of us or of Ophelia on her own because she was so preoccupied with her presents and with having family around her. We did manage to grab these selfie's at the end of the night.
We also got matching pyjamas from Next recently so we tried to get a pic of us all wearing them but failed. They are such cute, snuggly, pyjamas and they'd be perfect for Xmas day but we must've taken the pics when we were tired as we all don't look very enthusiastic.
Together this month we've loved:
Ice Skating
Frozen
Winter Wonderland
Cinema Trips
Rugby (even the girls have been watching it)
Party Food
Twinning
Christmas Films
In a week we go to Australia to spend Christmas with my family. We can't wait. I have made a vow to myself to take as many family pics as possible when we are there so check back next month for my Me and Mine Project post to see them.
Last weekend we started a new Christmas tradition. We joined in with Stir Up Sunday. This was something i'd not heard of before but it's basically the day where you bake your Christmas pudding. Both hubby and I have never attempted to make a Christmas pudding (we've always been naughty and bought one) so when Nature's Finest got in touch and asked if we'd like to bake a pudding with their ingredients, we decided to give it a go.
As a family November hasn't been a great month for us. We have had an unexpected family death and both the girls have had chicken pox. We thought starting this new Christmas tradition would bring us together for some family fun and finally get us in the Christmas spirit.
Stir Up Sunday is an old tradition where on the last Sunday in November, families would all make their Christmas pudding. Legend has it that if each family member stirs the pudding mixture then their wishes will come true. I love the fact that this tradition has a bit of magic in it. It makes it all the more exciting, especially for the kids.
Image from Nature's Finest
We used a recipe provided by Nature's Finest:
Ingredients:
As a family November hasn't been a great month for us. We have had an unexpected family death and both the girls have had chicken pox. We thought starting this new Christmas tradition would bring us together for some family fun and finally get us in the Christmas spirit.
Stir Up Sunday is an old tradition where on the last Sunday in November, families would all make their Christmas pudding. Legend has it that if each family member stirs the pudding mixture then their wishes will come true. I love the fact that this tradition has a bit of magic in it. It makes it all the more exciting, especially for the kids.
Image from Nature's FinestWe used a recipe provided by Nature's Finest:
Ingredients:
· 2 x 400g Nature’s Finest Pitted Prunes in juice, drained
· Butter for greasing
· 150mls dark rum (I didn't include this as I don't like alcohol in puddings!)
· Finely grated zest of 1 large orange
· 75g vegetarian suet
· 75g dark brown sugar
· 75g plain flour
· 2 tsp mixed spice
· 2 tsp ground cinnamon
· 50g white breadcrumbs
· 50g Brazil nuts, roughly chopped
· 1 large egg
· 200g mixed dried fruit
· Butter for greasing
· 150mls dark rum (I didn't include this as I don't like alcohol in puddings!)
· Finely grated zest of 1 large orange
· 75g vegetarian suet
· 75g dark brown sugar
· 75g plain flour
· 2 tsp mixed spice
· 2 tsp ground cinnamon
· 50g white breadcrumbs
· 50g Brazil nuts, roughly chopped
· 1 large egg
· 200g mixed dried fruit
1. Lightly grease a 1.2 litre pudding basin and line the base with disc of baking paper.
2. Cut a 38cm square of baking paper and place it on top of square of foil of the same size. Use butter to grease a circle about 18cm side in the centre of the baking paper then fold a 5cm pleat down the centre.
3. Place 1 pot of prunes in a blender and puree until smooth. Roughly chop the second pot of prunes. Transfer prunes to a mixing bowl, add all the remaining ingredient and mix well
4. Spoon the mixture into the prepared bowl. Place the square of foil and baking paper, greased side down on top of the pudding, with the pleat down the middle. Tie a long piece of string around the rim of the bowl, then loop string over and under the bowl to take a handle.
5. Sit the pudding on a heatproof saucer in a large deep pan, then pour in enough hot water to come half way up the bowl. Cover and simmer for 4 hours topping up water as necessary. Remove and cool store in cool place until required.
6. To reheat steam in a pan for 1 hour or remove foil and baking paper, cover with cling film and microwave for 5-10 minutes or until hot through.
The first thing that shocked me when we starting to make the pudding was how easy the process actually was. We've never had a go at making one before because we assumed the'd be very difficult and quite technical but actually it was fairly simple.
Eva adores baking so she decided to take the lead. We prepared the ingredients with her but hubby and I did any chopping etc. Ophelia wasn't quite sure what to make of it all and sort of sat and observed much to Eva's delight.
To make everything easier for Eva, we separated all of the ingredients into separate bowls so all she had to do was crack an egg and then pour everything into the big bowl. She wasn't very impressed with the smell of the rum, however Daddy thought that was the best part.
Once every ingredient was in, it was time for us all to have a stir and make a wish.
We then left the pudding to cook for 4 hours. I am so impressed with what we managed to make (even if I did break it when trying to remove it from the bowl). I honestly thought it was unachievable. Even though it is broken in places, it still looks and smells amazing. We are having a mock Christmas dinner next week (as we are on holiday for Christmas day) so we will be serving this for dessert with some thick clotted cream. My mouth is watering just thinking about it.
We will definetly be joining in with Stir Up Sunday every year. We had such fun enjoying this new Christmas tradition for our young family.
Have you used any Nature's Finest products before? Have you ever made a Christmas pudding?
Eva adores baking so she decided to take the lead. We prepared the ingredients with her but hubby and I did any chopping etc. Ophelia wasn't quite sure what to make of it all and sort of sat and observed much to Eva's delight.
To make everything easier for Eva, we separated all of the ingredients into separate bowls so all she had to do was crack an egg and then pour everything into the big bowl. She wasn't very impressed with the smell of the rum, however Daddy thought that was the best part.
Once every ingredient was in, it was time for us all to have a stir and make a wish.
We then left the pudding to cook for 4 hours. I am so impressed with what we managed to make (even if I did break it when trying to remove it from the bowl). I honestly thought it was unachievable. Even though it is broken in places, it still looks and smells amazing. We are having a mock Christmas dinner next week (as we are on holiday for Christmas day) so we will be serving this for dessert with some thick clotted cream. My mouth is watering just thinking about it.
We will definetly be joining in with Stir Up Sunday every year. We had such fun enjoying this new Christmas tradition for our young family.
Have you used any Nature's Finest products before? Have you ever made a Christmas pudding?
*Thank you to Nature's Finest for sending us a hamper to make the pudding*
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