Cancer Care Parcel Review

 Today I'm going to share something a little different.

We all get affected by cancer at some stage in our lives, be that seeing a loved one pass, become diagnosed with cancer and have to go through the long cancer treatment process or even ourselves will get diagnosed with cancer.

So what can we do for those loved ones who are going through that hard time?

Spread a little kindness, show them that we are there and we are thinking of them.

A nice way to do this is by sending a care package, we could make these ourselves which is always nice but if you don't have the time or you aren't sure what to put in your care package the guys over at cancer care parcel have a range of suitable parcels you can choose from and send straight to your loved one.

They vary in price, so something to suit everyone's budget, and also they have a range of different sort of parcels,

Ones for twins, breast cancer patients, those going through Chemotherapy, big boxes and small boxes.

All full of thoughtful gifts that aim to try and bring a little comfort to your loved one in their cancer journey.

I was sent the luxury breast cancer gift hamper which retails at £89.99.

This gift is guaranteed to make your friend/loved one know that you are looking after them.

For Comfort

✓ BLANKET: For a warm, cosy and comforting feeling during therapy, at the hospital or at home.

✓ NECK CUSHION: Soft to the touch this neck cushion provides fantastic support and can help relax.

✓ BED SOCKS: Perfect Solution to cold feet that can result from chemo treatment.

Pampering

✓ RIBBED FOOT ROLLER: To take the mind away from the everyday stress of cancer.

✓ LIP BALM: To soothe and protect.

For Nausea

✓ ANTI-NAUSEA WRIST BAND: A clinically proven, drug-free alternative treatment for the control of nausea.

✓ PEPPERMINT HERBAL TEA BAGS: Peppermint tea has numerous health benefits including stress relief and relaxation.

To Relieve Stress

✓ COLOUR PAD AND PENCILS: For relaxation.

✓ SLEEP MASK: To help shut out the world and get much-needed rest.

Useful

✓ WOVEN COOL FOOD BAG: Having several small meals a day is often advised when feeling nauseous. This small personal cooler suits this purpose, it is practical and robust enough for everyday use.

✓ EARPHONES: Spare earphones to help listen to relaxing music and take the mind off treatments and nausea.

✓ WATER BOTTLE: Keeping hydrated is very important when you are not eating well. This water bottle is easy to hold, eco-friendly and BPA free.

✓ ACCESS TO CANCER RESOURCES

✓ LUXURY ECO-FRIENDLY PACKAGING

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I thought the box had a great range of items to help one feel more comfortable and relaxed, and I think a cancer care parcel is something I would end up sending out as a care package to a loved one.

I like the fact there is a good range of boxes of all prices and for all cancer patients.

Along with the care parcel, I was also sent a few helpful tips on how to comfort and help your friend or loved one going through cancer.

Here are some of their suggestions on how to lend a hand,

 

• prepare a meal
• pick up prescriptions
• do the shopping
• organize doctor appointments
• take them to appointments
• make difficult phone calls
• tidy the house
• take care of children
• talk to their partner
• take care of a pet
• do the washing up
• arrange a night out (or at home with a movie)
• arrange a simple day out
• help research subjects as directed by your friend
• read his or her emails/blog if they decide to write about their cancer
• let them know that you are available if an unexpected need comes up
• organize a phone chain/or support team to regularly check on your friend
• offer to take notes during an appointment
• offer to provide company during a treatment
• go for a walk together

Do you feel a cancer care parcel is something you'd think about sending a loved one?

If so and you'd like to find out more about the different hampers on offer why not head over to 

www.cancercareparcel.co.uk and see what they have available.

A Mini Upcycling Project

 For the past few weeks after a strange dream, I had, I've been constantly making baby lists, of items that we need / things I want.

One of the big buys was going to be a changing unit/chest of drawers, I had seen a few I liked and even though pricey I decided it was needed and I just had to put up with spending a mini fortune on some new drawers, as I have nowhere else to store the baby's clothes.

Skip to last weekend when I had just successfully finished painting all the kitchen cupboards and was feeling pretty smug with myself, I saw someone had posted up on Facebook marketplace a cute set of vintage-looking drawers for free - not quite changing unit height but cute non the less!

Another little upcycling project for me to take on.

I decided I'd have them, I only had to drive down to the end of the road to pick them up to, so it was looking like a win-win situation.

I already had the paint which was leftover from my kitchen update and the drawers were free, so even if I didn't end up using them for the baby it wouldn't have cost me anything.

It took me a few days of painting, as I ended up doing three coats, just to make sure it was all even and I was over the moon with the results...

After

Before.

I'm really pleased with the end result and it fits in well in my room, as I have already used the grey paint on the bedside tables. Once it was in my room, I still couldn't bring myself to putting in all the baby's clothes as inside the drawers I still felt needed a little something. 

I'd hoovered them out and wiped them clean but still decided they needed a little something, I was going to 

buy some scented lining paper, but then decided even that wouldn't be enough to help me feel that I was able to put in brand new baby clothes in (snobby I know) so whilst in the bath, I had a bit of a brain wave and decided to buy some of that sticky back vinyl paper that people use to cover kitchen cupboards and units. 

So on Sunday, we popped to B&Q to purchase two rolls of the sticky back vinyl paper in a gloss white finish.

Once the kids were all settled down after lunch playing on their games I went upstairs to tackle the drawers.

It took a good hours work, and it's probably not one of neatest attempts of my work but it did the job I was hoping it would and the drawers are now all spotless and wipeable!

Once I'd finally finished lining the drawers I set about organising all the baby's clothes into the drawers.

 I feel nesting has well and truly begun!

Eventually, I will probably have to buy another set of drawers as I know these will fill up quickly and I do still need a changing unit but in total for the whole chest of drawers upcycle cost £9!!!

And because of that, I shall do a little happy dance!

**Paint used**

Grey - Frenchic Lazy range in spitfire

Pink - Frenchic Al Fresco in Dusky Blush.

Top Tips for Choosing a School for Your Child

 All parents will have to go through the process of choosing a school for their child, at least once. 

It can be a stressful experience because there are so many different things to think about; 

• What are the facilities like?  
• Did the school receive a good result in their previous inspection report?
•  Is the location convenient? 
• Where do they rank in the league tables? 

The list goes on. 

To help relieve some of this stress and offer you some guidance, I have teamed up with a prep school in Somerset. 

 

Start by discussing your priorities with the rest of the family, including your child, and then preparing a checklist. 

• Does the school need to be within walking distance of your home, or on route to your work? 
• Is your child keen on sport and therefore in need of decent sporting facilities? 

Once you have a list of your main requirements, you can start doing some research online and ruling out any schools that aren’t suitable. 

There will be photos of the facilities on the websites, along with things like previous exam results and Ofsted reports.

 

Once you have established a few favourites, you can start to visit the schools. There is no better way to determine whether or not it is right for your child than to have a look around and ask lots of questions. 

• Consider whether or not the current students seem happy and well adjusted. 
• Are they welcoming? 
• Think about whether or not the school feels safe and clean and ask the staff about their pastoral care. 

 

Your instincts will play a huge role in the decision, as you know your child better than anyone else. 

Do you think they are likely to fit in? 

Take them along to the open days and see how they respond to the environment and the people. 

You also shouldn’t be afraid to chat with your family and friends for some advice if you feel out of your depth. 

Hopefully, this helps a little when it comes to your time choosing a school for your little one.

**Collaborated post

The Baby Hamper Company Review

Not Your Standard Baby Gift

Recently I was sent an utterly gorgeous baby hamper from The Baby Hamper Company to review.

I hadn't seen much about them online before, so I wasn't too aware of what to expect, but after having a peak on the website I was more than excited about receiving a hamper from them. Everything looked so well planned and put together that I knew I would instantly love the hamper I was being sent.

I was sent the large baby girl hamper which retails at a very reasonable £40.00, I feel at this price it would make an excellent maternity leave present for a co-worker, or even a present for the mum at school who has just had a baby, if you're clubbing together it isn't going to leave you out of pocket at all and the receiver is going to be over the moon with their thoughtful present.

There are different sized hampers for all budgets and they are all carefully thought about and very nicely presented, so whatever hamper you end up treating someone to, you can rest assured that the receiver will be over the moon.

What's inside the hamper?

• Aden + Anais Dahlia Muslin square - single,
• Baby Bunting Grey and White Star print romper suit,
• Baby Bunting Grey Star print Knotted hat,
• Newborn Baby girls bodysuit, Blush pink, Hello World Print,
• Pebble Fairtrade Crochet Octopus in Pink.

I really love everything inside my box and I cannot wait to dress our little girl in her new goodies once she arrives.

Everything was presented nicely and it felt just like Christmas Day unwrapping it!

 If I had been given this as a present from a friend or relative I would have been over the moon to receive it.

All the clothes are of good quality and I know from previous experience that the Aden + Anais muslins are fantastic, Rupert had/has a large swaddle one from them and it is still going strong, he still takes it to bed every evening.

A Little Bit About The Baby Hamper Company.

The Baby Hamper Company is run by mother and daughter duo Chloe and Christine.

Chloe is a mum to one and Christine is mum to three.

After the birth of Chloe's little boy Harry back in 2011, they both realised there was a gap in the market for affordable unique and cool gifts that new mums really wanted.

And so it was that new mum Chloe, a design graduate and Christine, an owner of a successful building and development company set about filling that niche.

And the rest they say is history.

I am personally glad they set about filling that gap in the market and I am utterly impressed with my hamper!

My cousin is due this month and I already know what I'll be treating her and her bundle of joy too.

If you would like to see more of the hampers on offer, why not pop over to the website and have a look;

The Baby Hamper Company.

*I was gifted the hamper for free in return for an honest review, all thoughts are my own.

Easy Half term Lunch with Lo-Dough

 During the half term, I wanted to keep lunches fun and stop it from being repetitive, so I decided to whip up some pizzas with some Lo-Dough bases that I had been previously sent to try out.

The pizzas literally took 5 minutes to pop the toppings on and only 6 to 10 minutes to cook in the oven, so whilst the boys were all out in the garden bouncing around on the trampoline I was able to get lunch ready without anyone moaning.

Lo-Dough is incredibly versatile

Lo-Dough is a game-changing, innovative food product which is primarily used as a pizza base and a bread and pastry alternative. 

It can be used to make so many different dishes, including:

• Pizza
• Quiche
• Cakes
• Wraps
• Pies
• Pasties
• Brownies 
• Cheesecake

and much more...

Lo-Dough is a bread replacement like no other. It's high in protein, high in fibre, gluten-free, and  39 calories per piece. When used as a pizza base, it allows you to make a pizza that can come in at as little as 250 calories and just 5 carbs!

The boys were all pretty impressed with their quick and easy Lo-Dough pizza's and quickly gobbled up the four I had made.

For a treat I decided to try out the brownie batter that I was also sent, all I had to do was add water. 

Nice and simple!

Lo-Dough Brownie Mix is like no other. 

Considerably lower in both calories and carbs than anything else on the market, you won't believe the level of indulgence you can experience for just 65 calories.

The boys weren't too impressed with the brownies and only took a bite out of their square, they all have a sweet tooth and I don't think these quite hit the spot.

I do feel these will be great for people who are trying to lower their sugar and calorie intake and at only 65 calories you really can't moan!

To find out more about Lo-Dough why not have a browse over on their website;

Lo-Dough