For the Love of Mum and Dad

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Isn’t it amazing how much we once took our amazing parents for granted? All that effort and care and love they gave us, all the little things they did, would all fly under the radar, unnoticed by us and our carefree existence. It was part of being a kid. What’s more, is was part of the joy of parenting.

Early mornings, breakfasts, packed lunches, homework help, playing fare-free taxi driver, standing on the side of the sports field in the pouring rain and getting the arts and crafts on so you could be in the Nativity play. They didn’t do it for appreciation, they did it out of love.

Luckily it is never too late to say thank you or drop a little anchor of appreciation.

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Your Turn To Cook

Remember all those times your parents cooked a delicious homemade meal for you. Most of the time they did it simply because it was dinner time, but sometimes it was the best to show they love and care about you, to cheer you up and make you smile. Well, why not turn the tables and make them their favorite dinner, or start rehearsing something special and wow them completely. Nothing says love like a delicious meal.

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Buy Them Something For No Reason

There are days through the year which are dedicated to moms and dads, but surprising them with an unexpected present ‘just because’ will mean so much more. Catch your dad off guard by getting him one of the ultimate gifts for men, such as a track day, or a golfing experience or even booking him onto a sailing holiday. As for your mum, something like a surprise spa weekend, or getting her two tickets to her favorite theatre production will say I love you louder than the words ever could.

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Indulge In Their Interests

Knowing someone has a genuine interest in your passion is one of the best, warmest and fuzziest feelings ever. Someone loves what we love, or maybe not loves but cares about. So why not give your parents this feeling by getting involved in their passions. If they love art exhibitions, go along with them and soak up all their frenzied words. Go out for cocktails and giggles with them if that is what they love doing. Or, if they love camping, then go away with them for a weekend. Just indulge their interests by being genuinely interested. It is such an easy way to create a special bond.

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Go To Them For Advice

When you are young, you rely on your parents for everything. They dedicate themselves to you completely; they go above and beyond for you. They make sure you have all the skills and characteristics to make it in the world on your own. Then, suddenly, that reliance stops. You don’t need them like that anymore. But you do. We all do. And a great way to show this is by going to them for help and advice and getting their wide words. This lets them know you still value their opinion, above all others, and that is true trust; that is a loving trust.



*A Collaborative Piece

You Will Not Defeat Us

On Monday night I was playing around on Twitter and then suddenly, my heart dropped.  A potential explosion at the Manchester Arena.

I followed the story for about an hour.  At that point, there was no real information coming out. Trying to piece together conspiracy theories, people saying that it was just a speaker that exploded, others saying that nothing had happened at all.

By 11.30pm all I knew was that something had definately happened, but not what.  I woke at 7.30am to hear the worst news imaginable.  A terrorist had detonated a nail bomb, killing, maiming and injuring dozens of people.  Children. 

I cried as I watched Olivia Campbell's mother on the television pleading for news of her daughter.  I sobbed when I heard of her death.  Every story I read makes me cry.  I think of the wounded in hospital, with terrifyingly bad injuries and wonder how their families are getting through it.

But why am I telling you this?  You know what happened.  You have felt and are feeling exactly the same feelings. We have all been glued to the news, to Twitter and people's stories about what happened for the past two days.  I won't talk further about what that man did.  It was monstrous. How you can specifically target children and their parents and subject them to what happened is something I can and will never fathom.

What I want to talk about today is how this country comes together in the worst of times.  We become the best of ourselves in times of adversity and conflict.

Police and ambulance crews dashing to scene, without regard for their own lives or whether any more explosions could happen.  Every level of staff member from receptionists to surgeons upon hearing the news running to their hospitals to help.  To save people.  Taxi drivers turning their meters off to ferry anyone home who needed it.  Droves of people offering their homes, food, and blood.  Anything that they could do to help.

When we are divided we are weaker.  Be it politics, referendums or people trying to drive us apart.  When we are strong is when it matters.  The Olympics.  The clean up campaign arranged on Twitter after the London riots.  Now.  

CharleyHasted on Twitter sums us up pretty well.

British Stages of response to a terrorist attack:
-Shock
-Sadness
-Anger
-Kindness
-Mocking terrorists

I found in delight the #BritishThreatLevels hashtag on Twitter today.  When I saw it initially, my heart again sank.  I knew that the threat level had been changed to critical.  My heart rose when I saw hundreds of people, and gaining by the hour, saying that they were not afraid of terrorists.

We are afraid of tea running out, of people on the bus actually talking to us; someone who doesn't fancy "a cheeky Nandos"; 1 centimeter of snow; the incorrect use of their, there, and they're.  We are not afraid of you.

So terrorists, listen to us.  You will NEVER defeat us.  You will NEVER knock us down because we will ALWAYS get back up.  Even when the EDL turned up in Manchester today, they were thwarted by Mancunians who would not dealt with their hatred.  Not today.  Not ever.  

You will NEVER turn us against each other because at its heart, this country is one.  Name one other country who has, two days after an attack, fought against terror with talk of tea and sarcasm.  

We are STRONG. You are COWARDS. We stand together with every country that you have attacked, whether the media bother to mention them or not.

I sometimes wonder why we are called Great Britain.  Today I remembered.

Gifts Should Celebrate The Person, Not The Day

It’s always hard to pick the right gift idea for someone. More often than ever, many people are just asking the other what they would like before they get it. The gift becomes a formality, the gift-giver a middleman in a transaction that often does little than help the recipient save some money. If you want your gift to mean something, then why not pick something that goes beyond celebrating the big day by helping them get what they want? Celebrate the person, instead, giving a gift that’s all about them.

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About them

How often do you really tell your loved one just how much they mean to you and what kind of impact they’ve had in your life? If you’re one who loves any opportunity to gush about what makes you feel happy and loved, it might be quite often. But that doesn’t mean that getting it in writing or getting it with some time spent on it isn’t a hugely memorable experience. If you’re worried that whatever you’ve bought doesn’t have the emotional impact you want, then why not create a little heartfelt message of appreciation? For instance, you can create a jar of love notes that contains little bits of positivity that the recipient can go back to time and again. Or you can create a love notes photo book that has you and your loved one taking a trip down memory lane with lots of great snaps from over the ages.

Unique to them

Everyone has a few things that they’re not going to share with most of the people they know. Their birthday itself is one thing that they might not share with a lot of people. Why not commemorate the person by commemorating the day itself? For instance, you can get vintage old newspapers from the day they were born, showing how the world was when they first came into it. You can also use the web to look up what songs were on the top of the charts when they were first born. If you want to put some effort in, you can create a playlist or a mixtape for them containing the number ones of their birthday every year.

With them

If you’re really special to that person, then the gift that means the most might just be your company. Especially if you haven’t had a lot of time to spend with them as of late. It might be something as simple as a meal out. Or you can treat them to a spa day. If you’re both the adventurous type and can clear the time, you can consider some of the more exciting and unusual getaways. Visit a hobbit hut, spend a weekend in a treehouse, or just go explore somewhere neither of you have ever been before.

More often than a gift itself, it’s the experience of receiving the gift and the emotional impact that lingers a lot longer. The next time you have to think up a gift, think about celebrating the person, not just their big day.

Keeping Up With The Jones'

I have always loved the views from our house since we moved here.  Surrounded on two sides by Water Board land, despite living in a small town, living half way up a hill and surrounded by green makes you feel like you live in a village or in the country.

We live at the top of a very garden proud cul de sac.  Unfortunately, neither my mum nor I is any kind of a gardener.  I will mow the lawn when it reaches an embarrassing height and weed when I remember, but the other gardens put ours to shame.  They are more like show pieces and we are the embarrassing cousin at the end of the row.

So this summer, we are determined to turn it around and not be the garden that our neighbours comment unfavourably on.   We are employing the tactic "fake it till you make it". 

HIRE A GARDENER

First off, we have hired a gardener to come every few weeks to deal with the plants and create actual straight edges to our lawn.  We will never be gardeners so leaving that aspect to the professionals seems wise.

DISTRACT, DISTRACT!

What we can do however is buy some garden furniture/pieces that distract the eye.  

First thing is first, we are looking at buying a wrought iron patio set for, shock horror, our patio.  We have a little balcony that is crying out for some seats and a bottle of wine,

Galbemere Wenlock Set

Secondly, one of my favourite things is a water feature.  There is nothing more relaxing to me than sitting in your garden, glass of wine in hand and the sound of water tricking through a fountain. Sadly our garden is not exactly palatial, I am looking more for outdoor fountains for the wall.

Lastly, and it is a simple one, but lots of tubs and lots of plants in them.  They take minimal effort other than watering in spring/summer.   I am all about minimal effort, maximum output.

Four Ways To Put On Your Face

We live in a society that is conscious about its looks, and unfortunately there is no getting away from that. Whether you’re at work, or out with friends, there is a face you must present to the world. Much like your body image, a lot of people can feel self-conscious about how their face looks. However, there are many ways to show the world your best, most beautiful face. Ultimately, the way to make a really good impression is to just be confident, no matter how you put your face on.

Naturally

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Everyone feels self-conscious about going out without any makeup, either because you’re prone to breakouts or you believe (most likely wrongly) you have unflattering features. Don’t worry; healthy, glowing skin is within reach. You can reduce your breakouts by drinking lots of water, exercising, and eating food rich in fiber, omega-3, and vitamins A and B complex. There are also a number of natural remedies you can try at home to promote a natural glow. You can decide to apply makeup on your beautiful skin, or you can go au naturel for the rest of the day.

Surgically

Some people might look down on cosmetic surgery, but there are people who feel held back by a single body feature. Where it may be an overlarge or crooked nose or overly prominent ears, people can still feel self conscious about having - in their minds - an embarrassing feature. If their confidence skyrockets after having rhinoplasty or inserting ear folds, then it’s obvious that cosmetic surgery was the right decision for them. Everyone has their own way of boosting their self esteem.

Makeup

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There are hundreds of reasons why women wear makeup, and not all of them are related to impressing other people. Some women wear it because they don’t think they look like themselves without it, because they feel more confident wearing it, or just because it’s fun to apply it. There are also those who don’t wear makeup, unless they’re celebrating a special occasion, which is also perfectly fine. Whether you prefer to go with a more natural look, or you like experimenting with bold eyeshadows and lipsticks, makeup can be a way of expressing yourself. It’s also a sneaky why of covering up any surprise breakouts.

Take care of your skin

Ultimately, the best way to make sure you’re always putting on your best face is to practice a regular skin care routine. Wash and cleanse your face daily, and maintain your glow by using a good exfoliator to scrub away dead skin cells. You should finish off your skin care ritual by moisturising. Oils are more effective than creams because they can penetrate deeper layers of the skin, and they are lighter than cream. Now that summer is almost here, you should also remember to put on a light layer of BB cream that contains at least SPF 15. Sunburn doesn’t look good on anyone.

*Collaborative piece