LIKES & LOVES| JUNE 2022

Some of the items featured in this post include affiliate links. I’ve added a * next to those items for reference. Purchasing via these links does not cost you extra.

June is my birthday month and so quite a few of my favourites are gifts that I received. Quite a few items are book themed which I absolutely love. There are a few other items featured that are non birthday related and I've watched some good bits mainly on Netflix this month.

Disney + 

Cruella 

Absolutely loved it! Estella is a young and clever grifter who's determined to make a name for herself in the fashion world. She soon meets a pair of thieves who appreciate her appetite for mischief, and together they build a life for themselves on the streets of London. However, when Estella befriends fashion legend Baroness von Hellman, she embraces her wicked side to become the raucous and revenge-bent Cruella.

Netflix

Two Summers 

The story of a group of bosom friends who come into conflict when they are extorted with images of a fateful evening during a holiday thirty years ago. 

City of Ember 

Not sure why I've not watched it sooner as its a great family film. The main generator in the City of Ember, a post-apocalyptic underground city, is beginning to fail. Two teenagers must unlock an ancient mystery before the lights go out for good.

Man Vs Bee

A man starts a new job as a housesitter, wacky hi-jinks ensue as he tries to take care of this house while pursued by a mischievous bee. Stuart and I watched the whole series in one night and it was hilarious. The episodes are really short approx 10-20 minutes each. 

You don't know me

A young man from South London is in the dock for murder. The evidence against him is overwhelming, but rather than let one of the barristers decide what's in his best interest, he chooses to exercise his right to tell his own story, in his own words. His story is extraordinary, it's about the woman he loves, who got herself into dangerous trouble. It's about how he risked everything to save her. He swears he's innocent, but in the end, the only thing that matters, is if you believe his story or not.

Chickenhare and the hamster of darkness 

In this fun family film a brave young animal explorer teams up with two trusty friends to find a powerful artefact before his greedy uncle can get his paws on it.

2022 READING CHALLENGE | WHAT I'VE READ IN JUNE

This month's reads have included 3 non fiction and two fiction books. I'm 48% the way through my reading challenge which I'm hoping I'll be able to complete this year. 

Life without diabetes by Professor Roy Taylor 

My diabetes hasn't been controlled since my diagnosis in 2019. I picked this book up from my local library and I've found it to be really informative. I like that he explains exactly what is happening in the body as type 2 diabetes develops and shows how you can live a full and healthy life beyond it. The only thing that bothered me was the 3-step Newcastle weight loss programme. Even though it is meant to help with diabetes reversal I felt uncomfortable with the fasting idea.

15 FREE SUMMER DAY OUT IDEAS

*Although free to do some of the days out may require transport and food/drink costs.

As part of my summer posts to help you save money and give you some inspiration today I am sharing with you some Free summer days out ideas. I'm going to bet that when you look back on the summer holidays you had as a child it was the free activities you remember the most not expensive holidays and big days out. 

HOW TO SAVE MONEY DURING THE SUMMER HOLIDAYS

The summer holidays are fast approaching. It tends to be an expensive time when children are off school for 6 weeks. The cost of living crisis this year is also going to make the summer holidays harder financially on families. Planning is going to be key when it comes to keeping kids occupied/entertained and fed this summer. Below are  some ideas to help you to save money during the summer holidays.

KID COACH APP | Helping Autistic Children to Communicate

Ad/Gifted –  A years subscription of the Kid Coach App featured in this post was gifted to me in exchange for this post. All thoughts are my own.

Communication when you have a child who is autistic can be difficult. There are different ways someone with autism may communicate; this can be via a communication device, PECs (picture exchange communication), Makaton or another way. The Kid Coach App wasn't actually created for the autistic community in mind, however it has many benefits for those on the spectrum who are verbal.

Today I am sharing how we are getting on using the Kid Coach App with Blake. Blake personally is behind in speech but can communicate verbally and uses PECs, especially at school. With Blake it is hard to have a back and forward conversation with him. Echolalia is something that is frequently part of his communication. Echolalia, for those of you who don't know is the name for repetition of words, phases or sounds of others speech.

When I came across the Kid Coach App I thought it was a brilliant way to help us to explore fun conversion topics with Blake. Kid Coach App is aimed at parents of children aged 6 to 12. It is compatible with all devices and features hundreds of questions to start having deeper conversations that encourage critical, analytical and creative thinking and empathy. There are easy, medium and hard questions depending on your child’s capability.

ATTENTION AUTISM | WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

Having an autistic child often means struggling with communication. Attention is one of the important things when it comes to helping to improve your child's communication skills. This is something that was focused on during speech therapy with Blake back when he was a preschooler. Attention comes first as a starring point as you can't "teach" communication to a child who can't pay attention.

We had a few sessions of Attention Autism with a speech therapist before we relocated which was going well. We also started introducing PECs ( picture exchange communication) and visuals with the speech therapists support.  Blake now has all this support in place at the specialist school he goes to. One of his favourite things is "bucket time" that they do during circle time. This is an activity as part of Attention Autism.

The Benefits of Chores for Children

*This is a collaborative post

While for parents it's a way of getting the cleaning out of the way, chores can be beneficial for children in their development. They can learn about time management, meeting expectations and how to be independent. We have teamed up with a senior school in London to share more on the benefits of chores for children.

GIVEAWAY | Mega Spin Gravity Yo-Yo

Ad/Gifted – Mega Spin Gravity  featured in this post was gifted to me from Wicked Uncle in exchange for this post. All thoughts are my own.

I'm sure that most of us had a yoyo as a child. I know I did even though I was never good at using one. The great thing about them is that they aren't just for kids, adults can have lots of fun with them too. 

The Mega Spin Gravity Yo-Yo is an easy to use Yo-Yo with LED lights and cool auto return technology.  Simply throw it down and when it reaches the end of its string it will bounce right back to your hand! It looks really cool with your smooth yo-yo skills, enhanced by the colour changing LED lights as it spins. The high-tech shape is perfect for string tricks and clever yo-yo stunts, from the Elevator to Around-the-World. With practice, you'll be a yo-yo master in no time!

Exploring Creative Writing with Your Child

*This is a collaborative post

Words give us the power to express ourselves and creative writing gives children the opportunity to form creative ideas and develop their thought processes. So, as well as helping them in English, it can help them throughout school in a range of subjects. We have teamed up with a private school in Essex to share the different ways that you can explore creative thinking with your child.

Top Tips for Preparing Your Child for the School Bus

*This is a collaborative post

Having to get the school bus for the first time can be a scary thought for both children and their parents. There may be anxiety around getting lost, issues happening along the way and dealing with the unexpected. Running through all of this ahead of time can make sure that your child is prepared and ready. To help you make sure that you’ve got all bases covered, we have teamed up with a prep school in London to share our top tips.