LIKES & LOVES| MARCH 2021

 March has been an OK month. We have managed to get some bits sorted out around the home that we have been meaning to do. I had a lovely Mothers Day and we are now preparing for Easter. I'll be glad when we can travel again though as we are in much need of a change of scene. Here are some of the things that I have been liking/loving this month. 



Netflix:


Ginny and Georgia 

Georgia Miller arrives in the quaint New England Town of Wellsbury with her daughter Ginny and son Austin and quickly makes a big impression.


The One 

Love -- and lies -- spiral when a DNA researcher helps discover a way to find the perfect partner, and creates a bold new matchmaking service. Based on the book by John Marrs.


Life of the party

When her husband divorces her, Deanne, a middle-aged mother, decides to complete her college education, much to the dismay of her daughter, Maddie, with whom she shares her classes.


Blended

After a terrible blind date, Jim and Lauren find themselves stranded at a resort together with their respective children. However, the two soon start developing feelings for each other.


Escape Room

Six people from different walks of life participate in an escape room competition to win ten thousand dollars. Things change when they find themselves in horrifying circumstances.


Moxie

Inspired by her mum's rebellious past and a confident new friend, a shy teenager publishes an anonymous zine calling out sexism at her school.


Automatic Soap Dispenser 
An item in the home I never thought we would need but couldn't resist buying.  It's actually a great product especially for encouraging kids to wash there hands. We love that you dilute your usual liquid soap and it comes out like foam automatically when you put your hands under. It does need batteries but it's definitely a nifty little thing.

2021 READING CHALLENGE | WHAT I'VE READ IN MARCH

This month I've managed six books, four of those are Thrillers/Crime which of course is my favourite genre and two are non fiction which I have found really interesting.  


The Rumour by Lesley Kara
One of us is capable of murder. One of us has killed before
When Joanna passes on a rumour she heard at the school gates, she is desperate to integrate herself with the Mothers at her son's new school. Rumour has it that a notorious child killer has moved to their sleepy little town under a new identity. So who is the reformed killer, who now lives among them? I found this thriller slow starter but it did pick up. 




Beneath The Surface  by Fiona Neill
Grace who had a chaotic childhood and wants her daughters to fulfil the dreams denined to her. Older daughter Lily is the golden girl who is popular and clever. When out of the blue Lily mysteriously collapses in class, Grace's would begins to unravel. Dark rumours swirl around the tight community, with everyone having their own theories about what happened. Left to her own devices younger daughter Mia has her own theories that have unseen and devastating consequences for the people she loves the most. Again this was a slow start which then picked up.


Lockdown by Peter May 
London is in quarantine and the epicentre of a global pandemic, no one is safe from the deadly virus. Meanwhile construction workers find a bag of bones of a murdered child. There is a remorseless killer  unleashed on the city with a mission to take all measures necessary to prevent the bones from being identified. DI Jack MacNeil who is counting down his last hours on his final day at the Met, is sent to investigate. Which will stop him first the virus or the killers? I really enjoyed this read I would've liked there to be more about the virus but overall it was a great crime story.


The Nanny by Gilly Macmillan 
Can you trust her with your child?
Seven year old Jocelyn loves her Nanny more than her mother. When she dissappears one night she never gets over the loss. How could her Nanny go without saying goodbye? Thirty years on Jo is forced to come back to the family home and confront her troubled relationship with her Mum. Human remains are found on the grounds of her family home making her question everything. An unexpected visitor knocks on the door and Jo's world is destroyed once again, as she discovers her childhood memories aren't what they seemed. What secrets was her Nanny hiding? What was she running away from? Sometimes the truth hurts so much you would rather hear the lie. I absolutely loved this one! A great read that was gripping and kept me wanting to find out what was going to happen next.



The Body by Bill Bryson 
Bill Bryson explores the human body, how it functions and it's remarkable ability to heal itself. Full of extraordinary facts and astonishing stories The Body is a brilliant attempt for helping us to understand the human body. I've learnt alot from this book and found it so interesting. It's definitely a book that is different from what I would usually pick up.



This Is Going To Hurt by Adam Kay
Welcome to the life of a junior doctor 97-hour weeks, life and death decisions, a constant tsunami of bodily fluids, and the hospital parking meter earns more than you. Scribbled in secret after endless days, sleepless nights and missed weekends, Adam Kay provides a no-holds-barred account of his time on the NHS front line. Hilarious, horrifying and heartbreaking. I honestly found this such an interesting read there were definitely some laugh out loud bits which I ended up reading to my husband. There is definitely heartbreaking and horrifying accounts within this book but I like Adam Kays honesty of his experience.


 

LITTLE MOMENTS: UPDATING OUR FRONT GARDEN |13/52

While the weather has been nice this week we thought it was a good time to start getting our front garden ready for the summer months.

Originally our front garden was concrete and we decided to lay faux grass. We have also ordered a new bench which should be arriving tomorrow all  being well. 


The idea is that hopefully during the summer we can be out the front and Blake can play outside with his best friend. We do have a back yard that's also a good size space but it's great to have this space as well. 

REVIEW| CRAZE SENSATIONS: FOUR PACK COMPOUND KIT

Ad -  We was Gifted the Craze Sensations Four Pack Compound Kit for the purpose of this review. All thoughts are my own.

Sensory toys are a must in our household. Sensory toys are great for children to help them to relax and feel calm. This is especially true with autistic children like Blake as they can really struggle with sensory processing. Blake is a huge fan of slime, play doh, play foam etc. We were excited to be able to receive the new ASMR range from Craze Sensations to try out.

Craze Sensations are a fabulous new collectable ASMR range that taps into the sensory trend.  Open and discover a world of sounds and textures! Mix the decorations with the special compound to create unique satisfying sensations.





The 4 piece compound kit has inside each of the 4 pots a new sensation to enjoy. Open the pot, discover the exciting compound and then mix it with the textured decorations and let the fun begin! Listen and feel that AMSR satisfying sound as you squish, smoosh or crunch the decorations together with the unique Craze Sensations compound.

LITTLE MOMENTS: GOING WITH THE FLOW| 12/52

I love weeks like this past one where you just embrace it and go with the flow. We've not actually done anything that exciting this past week. Other than the school run each day and a trip to the post office I've not really been out. 

Blake lost another tooth this week which he made little fuss about. He's also become obsessed with daffodils and loves spotting them after school. I've been struggling with trying to stop him from picking them. 

We have started some craft bits to send out to Blake's grandmothers in the next week or so. We have also started a grow our own crystal which I'm hoping works. I'm sure that I'll share that with you over on my Facebook and Instagram pages. 


HOPPY EASTER TREATS WITH SWIZZELS

*AD - Hoppy Easter Treats is a paid post in collaboration with Swizzels.


With Easter only a few weeks away I decided to get organised early. It's likely we will still be in some kind of lockdown like last Easter but it doesn't mean we can't have fun. Instead of focusing on the things we are missing out on I'm coming up with things we can still enjoy like getting Blake involved in making nest cakes, an egg hunt in the garden, fun games and activities.

Each year I do an Easter basket for Blake filled with things to keep him busy over the Easter weekend. This year I've opted for a gift bag as I can fit more bits in for him and add some sweets too.



LITTLE MOMENTS: MOTHERS DAY | 11/52

Mothers Day this year has been a lovely one. We may not have been able to have a  meal out as usual,  but it was still an enjoyable day together. Blake was being very cuddly and we watched some of his favourite TV shows whilst all cuddled up together. I had some time to relax and enjoy the book I was reading and a Chinese for dinner in the evening. 

LOVE LOX THE MEANINGFUL MOTHER’S DAY GIFT

Ad -  I was Gifted the personalised locket for the purpose of this review. All thoughts are my own.

When it comes to Mothers Day I prefer thoughtful gifts over expensive items. I've always been like that though when it comes to gifts in general. If you are wanting to get a special gift for Mum this year I recommend checking out Love Lox Lockets. Love Lox believe that the precious memories that we capture should be celebrated.


Love Lox has a wide range of beautiful lockets in a range of styles and precious metals. You can choose from Silver, Gold and Rose Gold and opt for the locket to be engraved and insert two photos.

MOTHER’S DAY GIFTS YOUR MUM WILL LOVE

Ad -  I was sent the items featured for the purpose of this gift guide. 

Most of us wont be able to see our Mum's this Mother’s Day due to lockdown restrictions. However it doesn't mean you can't send out a gift in the post to show them you care. Here are some ideas that I'm sure your Mum would love to receive this mother's day. Don't forget to also look at ideas by thinking outside the box.

LITTLE MOMENTS: WORLD BOOK DAY| 10/52

 This week was world book day and I found myself looking on Pinterest for ideas that I could pull off using items we already had at home for Blake's costume. 

In general Blake isn't a fan of dressing up so I thought it was best to find a character we could do with him wearing normal clothing so we went for Peter Rabbit.




We already had a white top, blue shirt and some beige trousers so all we had to do is sort out bunny ears and a tail. I was originally going to order some off amazon but they wouldn't arrive in time so I ended up making some. 

LIKES & LOVES| FEBRUARY 2021

February hasn't really been an interesting month for us to be honest. Although I can safely say it has flown by compared to January. We had a few things to look forward to this month which has really helped with my mental health compared to last month. I've not actually brought many new things this month to share with you but even so here are some of the things I've liked and loved in February.


Netflix:

Firefly Lane                                                              

Based on the book by Kristin Hannah the series is about best friends Tully and Kate and their friendship over 30 years sharing the ups and downs. If you have read the book like I have you will notice that there are definitely alot of differences. 


Crime scene: The Vanishing at Cecil Hotel

Los Angeles' notorious Cecil Hotel grows in infamy after the disappearance of guest Elisa Lam. It's a true life crime series which I found really spooky but gripping and very sad too.


Behind her eyes

Behind her eyes is also based on a book. I've yet to read the book but definitely plan to. It's about a single mother who enters a world of twisted mind games when she begins an affair with her psychiatrist boss while secretly befriending his mysterious wife. The ending was certainly crazy in my opinion and not what I had at all expected.



Roses 
Our wedding anniversary was on the 4th. Due to lockdown we couldn't really do anything but Stuart did however get me some red roses which are lasting well and are only just starting to die. He also got me a forever rose which is a rose that has been preserved in a special way and plated in gold so it will never die.