2020 READING CHALLENGE | WHAT I'VE READ IN APRIL

April has been a great reading month. I've managed to tick off 5 more of the popsugar reading challenge prompts and they have all been enjoyable reads.

Twenties Girl By Sophie Kinsella 
I've not read a Sophie Kinsella book in a long time. I love a good chick lit and Twenties Girl is a fun easy read. This one has ticked off the prompt "a book with twenty/20 in the title."



Reluctant Adult by Katie Kirby Author of Hurrah For Gin.
I picked this up as I was in need of a fun and relatable read. I absolutely love Katie Kirby and her honest laugh and loud tails. They are so relatable such as with anxiety, parenting and just being an adult. I think we could all do with giving this book a read.


Lies,Lies,Lies By Adele Parks 
This was picked for the prompt "The first book you pick out on a shelf with your eyes closed." Adele Parks in another author whos books I enjoy. Lies, lies,lies features some topics that come with a trigger warning due to some of the topics featured such as alcoholism and rape. I wouldn't fully count it as a thriller in my eyes but definitely had some great twists.



The Family Upstairs By Lisa Jewell
Lisa Jewell I can say is one of my favourite crime/thriller authors and I absolutely loved The Family Upstairs. I found it to be gripping and twisty and if you love this type of genre than I fully reccomend this one. I used this for the prompt "A book with the main character in her 20s."


The Flatshare By Beth O'Leary
The Flatshare has so much hype I was worried I wouldn't enjoy it as much as I hoped I would. I'm glad to say that wasn't the case and I absolutely loved this sweet story. If you have been meaning to give this a read please do. I picked this for the prompt "A book written by an author in her 20s."


The Neighbours By Nicola Gill
A great easy read. Not as good as The Flatshare but a lovely chick lit style read. This is for the prompt a book set in a place where the Olympics has been held ( London). 

LITTLE MOMENTS 2020: 17/52 : REMEMBERING MY DAD

I always find this time of year hard. Yesterday marked 11 years since my Dad passed away. He was only 58 and I was 18 and it definitely has affected me in many ways.

My mum was able to put flowers on his grave for us yesterday.  Last year we were over there so I was able to put some myself and we have a photo of Blake at the grave as he was putting daisies on the stone.


I often talk about my Dad to Blake so that he knows about the Grandad he never met. We refer to him as Grandad in the sky. His other Grandad (Stuart's Dad) is now referred to as Grandad Star

Yesterday Blake loved looking at photos of his Grandad in the sky and also was referring to the flowers on his grave as Grandads flowers. I think it's important for us to talk about him even though he never got to meet him and know what a wonderful person my Dad was. 


I love how when I look at Blake he is a spitting image of my Dad as a child and it fills me with such warmth and joy.


LEARNING RESOURCES WE'VE BEEN USING : HOMELEARNING WEEK THREE

We are on the third week now of learning at home. We took 2 weeks off for the half term but have been back on it. 

Instead of sharing this week what we have done each day I thought I'd share instead the resources we have been using this week. Most days have been pretty much the same this week so I thought it would be too repetitive otherwise.


Phonics 
For phonics we have been using both the Teach my monster to read app and the Carters Yard Cards with the zappar app. They are both fun ways of helping your child to learn phonics. I've been learning a thing or two as well as phonics is a new concept to me.

Workbooks
We have quite a few different workbooks for Blake but the ones we have mainly been using this week are 2 by Kumon. The first one is tracing as we are trying hard to help Blake to gain pencil control as he struggles with this and is pretty much still at the scribbling stage and needs a lot of hand over hand. The second is the sticker and paste kumon book as again this is an area Blake needs practise on.

Learning books
Everyday I try and do a different book with Blake on his leapstart. We have 5 different ones currently so it's easy to do a different one each day although he does a preference for the number ones.

Music
We've been using out of the ark music the most this week. It was reccomend by Blake's school. We've also been watching the barefoot books musical stories on youtube along with one of the books he was gifted from the in laws for Easter.

Numbers
We mainly just done alot of counting while he is playing but the Numberblocks DVD is a hit with him too.

Shapes and colours
Mainly we've used the leapstart book for this. But he has also been doing puzzles and pointing out colours and shapes in everyday life.

Arts and crafts
Weve had the paint sticks out this week but our favourite craft activity was painting stones to brighten up our garden.

Blake is back into school for 2 days as of next week. We will however be continuing with learning at home on the 3 week days he isn't.  I hope the resources weve been using this week have helped you with a bit of inspiration.


LIKES AND LOVES | APRIL 2020

It's been a month since we hava all been in lockdown. We've been keeping ourselves busy however it's definitely hard not knowing when we will be able to see family again. Blake's finding the lockdown especially hard as he just loves being outside and has really been missing school a lot.

Here are my likes and loves for April:



Watched

Hop
I decided to purchase Hop on digital download for us to watch around Easter. I've never actually seen it before but it's certainly a film we will be watching every Easter time now.


Frozen 1 and 2 
Again this was via digital download on Amazon Prime . I had only seen Frozen once before but wanted to watch it again before the second one. If you have seen both films I'd love to know which is your favourite? I liked the second one so much more.



A Quiet Place

I spotted this on Netflix and decided to give it a watch. It's about the Abbott family and how they must now face the terrors of the outside world as they fight for survival in silence. Forced to venture into the unknown, they realize that the creatures that hunt by sound are not the only threats that lurk beyond the sand path.


Carnival Row
Whilst browsing on prime tv I spotted carnival row and really got into it. It is only one season and I raced through it. It's about A growing population of mythological immigrant creatures that struggle to coexist with humans after the creatures' exotic homelands are invaded by the empires of man. The creatures are forbidden to live, love or fly with freedom, but hope lives in darkness. Human detective Rycroft "Philo" Philostrate and a refugee faerie, Vignette Stonemoss, rekindle a dangerous affair despite being in an increasingly intolerant society. Vignette has a secret that endangers Philo's world during his most important case yet -- a string of gruesome murders threatening the uneasy peace of the Row.


Killing Eve
I've no idea why I've not watched it until now. I've binge watched season 1 in a day and am now starting season 2.  If you've not watched any episodes yet you can find them on BBC Iplayer.


Crafts

We've been doing more crafts at home since lockdown to keep us busy.

Rainbows
We have joined in with adding a rainbow to our window and during easter we did a rainbow egg to add too. We used Little Brian paint sticks which we absolutely love! 



Egg shaped crafts

We have quite a few foam egg shapes so we got out some other bits in our craft box and Blake and I made a chic, super egg and a bunny. 


Fairy Garden 
My mum got this fairy garden for Blake last Easter and we only just got around to using it!  We love that it's a great way to get Blake into gardening and he loves that it also plays music! 



Painting stones

We had a kit I purchased last summer to put away as an activity when boredom hits and glad I did. Blake and I loved doing this activity together. I'm planning to have them out in our garden for decorative purposes but want to find more stones so we can do more to leave when out on walks. 


Products

Sand and Water Tray
We've purchased quite a few things during lockdown to keep Blake entertained and our all time favourite is this clear sand and water tray. We use it on the ground but you can have it on a table and you can buy one with a stand but it does cost a significantly lot more. 


Stick Man toy
Blake loves collecting sticks when we are out walking so one of his Easter gifts for him was this cuddly stick man. He adores it and has even been watching stick man on prime alot.



Autism quote plaque
I've shared a review recently of this autism quote plaque by Edwinas Pyro Creations. I absolutely love it and the quote means alot to us.


Art

I'm getting back into art as I've not been doing much of it for a good few months now. This is one of my recent sketches that I have done.


Forest School Actvity Cards


Ad – Review. We were sent the activity cards for review purposes but all thoughts are my own. 

Blake loves being outdoors and so the lockdown is pretty tough on him. We are lucky to have a garden these days and regular readers know we have been out in the garden alot while the weather is nice.


I was recently sent the Forest School Activity Cards as there are some great ideas for activities to do whilst we are out on our once a day walk.  There are 48 actvity ideas overall to help encourage children to step away from screens and get more into nature.

Some ideas such as the earth day birthday  cake can be done in your own garden too. Activities that are featured on the cards come in 4 different categories:

Games - Such as Hungry Birds and Forest Fire which are great at burning off energy.

Connecting with Nature-  Woodland Mapping and making an earth day birthday cake are a few ideas.

Crafts- Such as story stones, stick frames and bark masks.

Survival skills - ideas include constructing a teepee shelter and light cabin fire.



We love that the cards are portable and durable and will definitely be doing lots of the activities when we can. 

Edwina's Pyro Creations


Ad – Review. I was sent the wooden plaque for review purposes but all thoughts are my own. 

I've been admiring Edwina's beautiful wooden pyro creations for a good few months now and was excited when she told me she was happy for us to collaborate on  this review.

Edwina makes and sells a wide range of personalised wooden gifts.  Her items are all made by hand with a heated Pyography pen given items that unique made with love factor. If you cant find something to suit your needs than Edwina also does commissioned pieces.


You most likely are aware if you are a regular reader that my son Blake is autistic. During Autisim awareness week I came across a few of the autisim quotes that Edwina shared on her Facebook page and I knew right away which quote I wanted. I reached out to Edwina and she was happy for me to do the quote on a heart shaped plaque for me. 

We absolutely love it and it's currently hanging up near our front door. It's a great size and you can tell the wood is great quality and the Pyrography was done with love.


I'd love you to support Edwina you can find her on the following Social Media platforms:


Review| Letterbox Loveliness with Miss Milly

Ad – Review. I was sent the necklace from Miss Milly for review purposes but all thoughts are my own

Today I am sharing with you a little business Miss Milly run by Sarah who sells a wide range of costume jewellery lines from the flagship Floria collection, a stand out ensemble of colourful, simple bold designs in resins and powder coated and enameled metals to the silver collection featuring delicate gold and silver plated classic pieces. All of Miss Milly jewellery  is nickel, lead and cadmium free adhering to the REACH standards.


With the current situation of needing to social distance the Letterbox Loveliness range is a great way of sending somone you love a little bit of happiness in the post. 

All you have to do is choose your product from the range on the website , tick the relevant boxes to let them have a few more details about colours and design, and a suitable piece of jewellery will be picked for your recipient that has been selectied with real care according to your preferences.  It is then sent out, wrapped in tissue with a personal note enclosed in a hand decorated jiffy bag. Doing this makes Sarah smile, you smile, the postie smile and your friend smile. There can never be too many smiles! And your friend will also have some original Miss Milly artwork



I of course had to opt for an item in my favourite colour.  I love how the envelope was decorated it certainly brought a smile to my face, I just wish I had remembered to take a photo.

I was excited to see what was picked for me and am thrilled with the choice. The necklace really is such a beautiful blue. I love the whole style of it in fact and it's definitely a piece that is very me.


I'd love you to support Sarah especially during this time where little businesses are starting to struggle you can purchase from the Miss Milly Letterbox Loveliness range here.

You can also follow Miss Milly on:

Facebook: @MissMillyUK
Instagram: @missmillyuk
Twitter: @MissMillyUK

LITTLE MOMENTS 2020: 16/52 : FAIRY GARDENS, CHINESE AND RAINBOW BATHS

This week has been laid back with no proper routine. We've been out in the garden as usual and we got out the Fairy Garden my mum got Blake which he loves. It's a lovely little set which encourages gardening in children. My favourite bit has to be that it plays music. Although that does mean we have to bring it indoors as we don't want it getting broken. 




We really fancied a Chinese this week and luckily one was open nearby. It did take 2 hours after ordering due to it being busy but it was definitely worth the wait. 




I've been sent a few bath bits from Emma's Bath Bomb Delights which I'll be do a post on soon. I love the colours of this one and it smells amazing so had to share it.




Now that we know that there is a 3 week extension on the lockdown I'm starting to put together some learning ideas for Blake. He definitely did well the 2 weeks prior to the Easter holidays so I'm hoping he will pick up ok with the routine once again. 

Will you be continuing to do learning at home? 

Pot of Depression

Over six weeks I'll be having therapy over the phone. This week was my second appointment. We had previously discussed  and decided to focus on low mood and depression.

She had sent out a booklet during the week and today we were discussing in a bit more detail about understanding depression and low mood along with the impact it is having on me. The booklet is about normalising it all.


One of the things we were talking about is my pot of depression. Everyone's pot of depression is different and it's the things that contribute to low moods.

It can be hard to pin down one reason its mostly likely a mixture of things that are in your pot. It can be things such as inactivity, unhelpful thoughts and low serotonin. It can be things such as the current situation with Coronavirus, relationship issues, money worries, health worries, your kids. All these things go into your pot of depression. So we talked in detail about what's in my pot as it's important to recognise what's in it.


This week I'm to fill in the section of 5he booklet about how my pot of depression is impacting my behaviour, thoughts and how I am physically. This is so that I recognise them and can discuss them at next weeks phone appointment. I'm also to fill in a section setting myself 3 goals I want to achieve over the next 4 weeks.

I'm also to record what I'm currently doing each day. There are 2 boxes each for morning, afternoon and evening and I'm to just include the main 2 things for each section. The point of this is about behavioural activation which is something we will be discussing at my next appointment.

LITTLE MOMENTS 2020: 15/52 : EASTER WEEK

We have been blessed with another week of gorgeous sunshine. This has made a difference to our Easter. This  has meant spending most of it in our garden so that we still got some fresh air and haven't struggled as much with cabin fever. 

Blake loves paint sticks and we have posted out some art work to family members and on Wednesday we got around to finally doing our rainbow for our window. Blake also did an Easter egg design that is also up on our window.


As I've mentioned we've been out in the garden alot. I've tried to make what we get up to fun for Blake. We've taken out a beach towel each day along with drinks and toys. We've had books, music and games which have been a huge hit with Blake. 


We don't have that many outdoor toys so whilst a water tray was on order I found a small tray to fill with water and bath toys so he can still enjoy water play. It was a huge hit with him and he also especially loved me bringing out the kinetic sand to play with too.




Another crafty activity we did together was making characters out of foam egg shapes. We did a little chic, super egg and a bunny. I'm thrilled with how they have turned out.




Today the water tray arrived so Blake was straight outside when he saw I was filling it up for him. We are just awaiting for a few toys to arrive such as boats and a water mill so he can enjoy water play even more. The water tray is a great size and can be used for other things such as sand and slime so it's definitely going to get some use.


I hope everyone is having a wonderful Easter despite needing to stay home.

5 ways to encourage wildlife into your garden

*Guestpost
Micaela combines her love for all things digital and all things creative with a career in digital marketing alongside running her uk lifestyle blog Stylish London Living. Micaela has been blogging since 2012 and loves sharing new experiences, travels, products and her passions with her readers.

Right now things are tough. We’re staying in our homes and sometimes looking out of the window and seeing a bird or butterfly can take the edge off of an otherwise stressful time. I am a big animal lover and I particularly enjoy looking out into my garden and seeing wildlife such as birds, mice and squirrels wandering through looking for food or shelter. 

If you’d like to be able to gaze out into your garden and see more of our amazing wildlife there are a few simple things you can do to encourage them in. These are not big things and can be a fantastic project for the whole family to help with which makes it even more satisfying when you spot your first butterfly, bird or frog.


Build a Bug Hotel

If you ask people what they think about bugs most will probably say they are annoying or gross but not all insects and bugs are pests! These little creatures help to protect gardens from harmful nuisances, so it’s wise to encourage them into your space. 

Setting up an area suitable for bugs is easy. Why not set up a bug hotel? Pick a quiet spot and make a pile of rocks, bricks, logs, twigs and leaves - this will quickly become a home to all sorts of insects such as beetles and spiders. You can also find bug hotels available to buy online - all you have to do is put them somewhere suitable in the garden and the bugs will be checking in in no time. 

Decaying wood is especially important for our wildlife, helping to support an ever-rarer habitat to a range of specialist wildlife that is growing increasingly uncommon in the countryside, such as stag and bark beetles and their grubs, and many species of fungi. I’m lucky to live in a stag beetle area and I often see them in early Summer. 

Piles of logs, stones and bark create perfect spaces for hibernation.can also provide cover and hibernation sites for creatures such as hedgehogs. Any natural (unstained/ unpainted) ideally partly buried wood will work. 
Not only will a lively garden provide hours of entertainment, wildlife will repay your kindness by keeping your garden beautiful and free of harm.


Set up a Bird Feeder

I attract all manner of wildlife into my garden with my bird feeder. Natural food shortages are a constant danger for birds, especially in the colder seasons, so adding a bird feeder to your garden will help local species survive. I love watching a wide variety of birds which visit my feeder every day. 

I particularly enjoy spotting Goldfinches, Robins and Long Tailed Tits. On one occasion I looked up to find a Lesser Spotted Woodpecker on my feeder! A common visitor to my feeder are Wood Pigeons (I call them fat pigeons because of their size), which are too big to sit on my feeder and like to perch on my ferret hutch in order to reach a tasty treat. 

You can build your own feeder or buy one ready made. Position your feeders at least 2m away from cover and out of the reach of pets (my Labradors have tried to steal nuts and fat balls from my feeder!) or children. 

Appeal to a wide range of birds by putting out a range of different foods. I offer mixed seeds, niger seeds, peanuts, suet pellets and fat balls on my feeder which is positioned just to the side of my bird bath so any visitors can have a drink or a paddle too.  Any plant that grows berries will provide an additional natural source of food for our feathered friends.

Although my bird feeder is set up mainly for birds, I have noticed that it also attracts other critters looking for an easy meal such as squirrels and the odd field mouse! 



Add a water feature

Water is of top importance to all wildlife but you don’t have to have an expensive, large pond in your garden to attract water-loving species such as frogs, toads and newts which will repay you by eliminating slugs and snails; both of which love to feast on your plants. It will also offer much needed drinking water to butterflies, birds and mammals such as foxes which might find themselves in your garden. 


Ideally dig a pond -  simply dig a hole, line it and fill with rain water and add some plants - but if you’d rather not dig up your garden you can simply add a water feature to your garden by filling any container, such as a shallow bucket or stone basin, or even an inverted dustbin lid with water in an out-of-the-way spot will do.

To encourage wildlife ideally, do not introduce fish to a pond as they will eat anything that moves including water-loving species you are trying to encourage! Make sure your pond has at least one sloping side to allow creatures an easy way out. Most wildlife, including amphibians such as newts and frogs, like shallower water. 


Sow a wildflower meadow

Something that I really want to add to my garden is more wildflowers. Our countryside was once full of meadows bursting with a gorgeous variety of flowering plants, supporting butterflies, insects, farmland birds and other wildlife. 
Sadly we have lost 96% of our diverse, species-rich  flower meadows since the 1950s, so re-creating them in our gardens is essential to turn the tide. Wild flowers are fantastic for all manner of insects, they need practically no maintenance and they make a more natural alternative to a labour-intensive lawn. 

Select an area in your garden and sow a mix of annual wildflowers such as poppies, Nigella, corn marigolds and annual grasses. This sort of seed mix usually needs to be re-sown each year but you can also choose perennial meadows which have more permanent plants such as buttercups, ragged robin and leucanthemum.

You will need about 5g of seed per square metre for your meadow. Simply scatter your seed mix as you walk across the ground. Try and get an even coverage - you can do this by splitting your seeds into batches and sow one batch walking in one direction and another batch walking at 90 degrees.

Once your flowers have grown you should see bees and butterflies start to use your meadow! Birds should feed there and bats may even fly over the top. Your meadow will become one of the most life-filled parts of your garden.

Make Your Own Compost

Having your own compost heap in the garden is a great way to recycle food waste and grass clippings and the resulting compost can be spread onto your garden which will improve the quality of the soil which, in turn, will provide more nutrients for your wildlife attracting plants! 

Not only will your nourished plants attract bees and butterflies, the compost provides an excellent source of food for worms, snails, woodlice, centipedes and can be a brilliant place for toads, slow-worms and grass snakes to shelter. 

Up to 60%of household waste is organic and can be recycled. Composting is good for the garden and reduces the amount of rubbish which goes to landfill. It also allows you to use home grown compost rather than buying products which may come with ‘fuel miles’. 

Making compost is cheap and easy. You can build your own container to hold the organic matter while it decays, or buy a wooden or plastic bin or you can even make your own from old pallets. 

Some top tips: 

Make sure your compost bin has no base and sits on the soil. This allows worms, insects and other creatures to get in and out.
Add a thin layer of waste at a time and intersperse soft, leafy material with twiggy prunings.  
It is important to mix the contents of the heap every now and again to aerate it – wait at least three months to turn the heap with a gardening fork.

REVIEW | Kinaldie Creations

Ad – Review. I was sent the Make  Up Pouch from Kinaldie Creations for review purposes and all thoughts are my own

Today I'm sharing a collaboration with a little company I've only very recently come across Kinaldie Creations.

Kinaldie Creations is run by Lee who specialises in using Harris Tweed Fabric to make cushions, purses, pictures, greeting cards etc.


I was excited to receive one of her make up pouches. The Harris Tweed Fabrics that Lee has to choose from are all in such bright and beautiful colours. I found it hard to choose but the one I did go for really stood out the most to me. 

This handmade Harris Tweed purse/zipper pouch can be used as a make-up bag, a pencil case or a travel purse as it's big enough to fit make-up, passport, tissues etc.



The Handmade Harris Tweed Make Up Pouch I chose is in a gorgeous pinks, purple and blue stripes with an authentic Harris Tweed label sewn onto the front of the with a purple zig zag stitch. This authenticates the fabric as 100% genuine Harris Tweed which is made in Scotland at the home of the Weavers.

Inside the pouch is  fully lined with bright swirly pattern fabric which is so pretty. The zipper is high quality YKK in a gorgeous turquoise. The pouch measures approximately 8 inches by 5 inches along with boxed corners making it easier to stand upright.

The make up pouch is amazing quality and you can tell that Lee takes pride in her work. I'll definitely be purchasing from her in the future.

I'd love for you to support Lee you can find Kinaldie Creations over on:


And you can purchase from her via her Etsy shop

LITTLE MOMENTS 2020: 14/52 : KEEPING IN TOUCH

I'm so thankful right now that we live in an age where technology means that we can stay in touch with family and friends more easily. 

We don't see our family that often anyway but our plans to visit in June have been stopped due to the Coronavirus. We were originally going over as I was to have a party to celebrate turning 30 and it would give us a chance to see everyone. 




Now that has changed we are making the most of video chats via Facebook. I'm especially loving this as it means I'm still getting to see my nephew Harry as he grows.

I've not been forgetting friends though and have made sure to keep in touch with them. I've also made sure to speak to my nan at least once a week. She must especially feel lonely right now shes in her 80s and usually likes to go out and about to keep busy. 

I think while we are in this situation of needing to stay home it's important more than ever to reach out.