Best Guides To What's On In And Around Cardiff This Easter

If you're lost for something to do this Easter, why not check out one of the great guides below.

Image credit:  Barnley Moss

You're sure to find an activity you'd like to try.

Just click on the links.

Easter Activities In And Around Cardiff - mumsintheknow.co.uk

A great list of Easter Holiday activities, from lambing to egg decorating.

18 Awesome Easter Activities happening in South Wales over the bank holiday weekend - walesonline.co.uk

A list of activities (some free) happening between April 3 and 6, as well as during the wider school holidays for the whole family.

Caitlin enjoying a picnic

Family Easter Holiday Roundup - visitwales.com

A great list of local places to visit.

Events in The Valleys

What's happening in our Valleys communities over the bank holiday break.

Easter events at Cadw

A list of those Cadw sites hosting Easter events, including Easter Egg hunts.

Ieuan at Raglan Castle

Easter Fun In Wales with the National Trust

Or there's the Mother Distracted weekend guide for any time of year.

Caitlin & Ieuan at Dyffryn Gardens

Have fun!

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Over 40? - Do You REALLY Need To Be Told Which Hairstyle to Have?

It's weird, isn't it that when you reach a certain age you are deemed incapable of choosing make-up and applying it or selecting the hairstyle that suits you best.

It's Your Hair - Do Your Own Thing!

To be frank, I'm a little tired of the "Fab Haircuts For The Over 40's" articles, or the "How To Apply Make-up without looking like Dracula's Grandmother" type pieces.

Obviously our skin and hair has changed but we know that.  Unless you've been wearing a potato sack over your head for the last ten years, you've probably been tracking every wrinkle, blemish and age spot.

So why is it that younger women and the media are quite happy to lecture us on what we should look like when we were the ones who came up with many of the trends that are still around today?

Time after time we see the old beauty tips and tricks recycled and presented in the slightly breathless tone so beloved of the few women's print magazines still left in circulation.

I find it somewhat amusing that the 'new' make-up techniques such as baking actually originated in the Drag Community many years ago.

Which probably explains some of the sights I've seen on YouTube.

And then there's the mystery of the 'duck face' selfie.

Any picture containing several teens / twenty-somethings tends to resemble a row of ducks at a funfair gallery.

I dread to think what the photos accompanying CVs look like.  How can you possibly look like a potential credible addition to a business when you look like you should be sucking a lollipop and wearing ankle socks?

See the joy of being that, shall we say, little bit older is that you can wear what you want and the World can go whistle.

But then there's the "women over a certain age are invisible" crew.

Do we really vanish once we hit 40?  Or do we subconsciously decide to retire from the spotlight?

I'm not suggesting you need a truck load of fillers, eyebrows like landing strips and a day-glo tan to fit in but if you want to make the effort - great.

If you don't, also great.

What you don't need to do is absent yourself from all the things that once gave you pleasure on the basis that you have hit a certain chronological age.

The truth is many are uncomfortable with ageing (me included) and don't know how to treat us.

We are a walking reminder of what is coming (should they be so priviliged to enjoy a long life) so there is the mocking, the teasing, the gentle gibes, the discounting and the all-out ignoring.

The Daily Mail in particular loves its articles about women who have the temerity to still want to compete and who invest in beauty treatments to rival younger women.

"Look at her" crows the Mail, "She thinks she looks half her age".

I doubt she does.  But I wish some of these ladies would understand that maturity has its own kind of sexiness, its own power that we should not give away by lessening the beauty we have today.

We need to strive to look comfortable in our own skin - bien dans sa peau - as the French would say.

And then we can wear what we like and it will not matter in the slightest. Because we won't care.

As Eleanor Roosevelt said "No-one can make you feel inferior without your consent".

That's the reminder many of us truly need.

Not another article on hairstyles.

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What is Swine Flu?

After the sad news that a 3 year old child recently died from a suspected case of swine flu, and as officials confirm that three others are infected, what exactly is Swine Flu?

If in doubt, telephone your GP for advice

A relatively new strain of the influenza virus, Swine Flu (or H1N1) is highly contagious.

The H1N1 form of this virus is one of the descendants of the strain that caused the 1918 flu pandemic.

Swine Flu is a respiratory disease that infects the respiratory tract of pigs and results in a barking cough, decreased appetite, nasal secretions, and listless behavior.

It is transmitted from person to person by inhalation or ingestion of droplets containing the virus from people sneezing or coughing; it is not transmitted by eating cooked pork products.

The disease is contagious about one day before symptoms develop to about five to seven days after symptoms develop. Some patients may be contagious for a longer time span.

Its symptoms are similar to regular flu and include:-

- fever
- fatigue
- lack of appetite
- coughing
- sore throat.

People infected with the swine flu often complain about the problems with stomach, headaches and even toothache.

In some cases, human swine flu is asymptomatic, which means the infected person feels fine and has no symptoms.

Although most people recover in a week without treatment, it is dangerous for children under two, pregnant women and those over 65.

A potentially life-threatening complication of human swine flu is pneumonia (a type of lung infection).

Those who do die from swine flu often have some underlying medical condition, like asthma or diabetes.

Sufferers are advised to keep warm and drink plenty of water to stay hydrated.

Some antiviral drugs, such as Tamiflu, appear to be effective against the human swine influenza H1N1 strain.

Tamiflu is a prescription medicine used to treat the flu in people 2 weeks of age and older who have had flu symptoms for no more than 2 days.

Tamiflu is not a substitute for an annual flu vaccination.

It is not known whether Tamiflu is harmful to an unborn baby.

You can find more information on the NHS website.

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Ways To Show Your Parents How Much You Love Them

Busy lives and older parents are not always a match made in heaven.

We all love our mums and dads but finding the time to share in their lives and support and help can be a challenge. However, our parents deserve to retire and grow old happily and peacefully.

With this in mind, here are some ways you can help with this, and show them how much you care.

Phone them for a chat

Finding time to sit and listen, even a regular phone call can brighten a day. It doesn't have to be for long, just so they can hear your voice and share their day to day routine.

Do their shopping 

Getting out and about can be a chore as you get older. Why not ask for a shopping list and do this alongside your weekly shop? Even better find time to take them out on a trip to the shops. You are going anyway so share your time!

Hire live in care 

There will come a time when your parents made be ready for live in care. Live in care is a fantastic way of offering help to your parents in their older years. Be prepared. Do your homework. Word of mouth is invaluable. Visit different places both with your parents and on your own. Compile a list of questions. Talk to the charities such as Age UK. They will have a wealth of information and plenty of support for both you and your parents.

Take them for a treat 

We all love to be pampered, why not organise for a regular chiropodist to visit them at home. Even a reflexology session can have huge benefits. A mobile hairdresser could be also be organised, and they could do fortnightly or monthly visits. What better way to give your mum a treat and a boost to her confidence and wellbeing? Dad too!

Find them new friends

Help in the hunt for new people to spend quality time with. This might be finding local community services or centres so they can meet friends. Together they can enjoy a meal or play some Bingo. Once they’ve met, you could arrange for them to enjoy a classy afternoon tea together!

Image Link

Take them to meet distant friends or family

Our mobility decreases as we get old. Just as getting out for shopping can be hard work, so can be visiting people. Make it so your parents can still see their loved ones by taking them yourself. Make a weekend of it and stay the night. This will help break up the journey. Your parents are sure to really appreciate the effort you’ve put in. They’ll make some special memories too.

Give them your kids for the afternoon 

Your parents looked after little kids once with you! Chances are, they’ll want to try it again. Hand over your kids for the afternoon and let them play. Even better, organise a big family holiday! You’ll get to spend some time with both your kids and your parents. Win win!

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Win The Chance For Your Child To Be A Player Ambassador At UEFA Euro 2016™

My own sporting prowess, as readers of this blog know, is rather limited so it is great to see that my children take after their father and not me.

Now that the weather is improving, Ieuan is spending every waking minute when not in the classroom kicking a ball around which is a refreshing change from his previous unswerving allegiance to all things i(Pad).

Caitlin's ballet phase is in full swing and I am fully expecting it to morph into an obsession with ponies very shortly.

Either way, we are enjoying the rush of activity and the chance to spend time in the sunshine and fresh air.

And, of course, the sporting season is upon us with the UEFA Euro 2016™ football championship rapidly approaching.

On March 24th Wales will be playing Northern Ireland in a friendly and we are hoping our boys will do us proud.  It will be a great opportunity for all the family to get together and cheer Wales on.

Then, there's the brilliant chance for kids to win the opportunity to be a Player Ambassador at at one of three UEFA EURO 2016™ matches taking place in June or July 2016 and the chance to win one of a hundred footballs in McDonald's fabulous competition.

Ieuan is so excited at the prospect of walking out on to the pitch for Wales with his football heroes. Gareth Bale, Wales’ youngest ever scorer and the man who contributed 7 out of 11 goals in Wales' qualifying match, is definitely his number one. The fact that there would be thousands of people watching Ieuan, does not daunt him in the slightest!

It would be a dream experience for any young football fan so we have explained that he might be up against a bit of competition!

How to enter

To take part all you have to do is to upload a photo of your child showing their passion for football: cheering on their country, celebrating a goal, or supporting their favourite team via the entry form.

Here's that link again.  www.mcdonalds.co.uk/ukhome/Sport/Football/LetsPlay/EURO-2016.html.

The Prizes

McDonald's are offering some amazing prizes.

Not only does your child get to walk out on the pitch but McDonald's are throwing in (see what I did there?), travel and accommodation for the three day trip to attend each respective match.

This is for one parent / guardian (who must be over 18) and the winning child.

These are the matches the Player Ambassadors will be attending.

England vs Wales (England Player Escort) Match 16, Lens, 16th June 2016 (4 prizes)

England vs Wales (Wales Player Escort) Match 16, Lens, 16th June 2016 (3 prizes)

Northern Ireland vs Germany (Northern Ireland Player Escort) Match 30, Paris, 21st June 2016 (1 prize)

The Final, (Player Escort may walk out with either team) Match 51, Saint-Denis, Paris, 11th July 2016 (1 prize)

1 of 100 footballs

Conditions

Your child must be between 6 and 10 years old (inclusive) on 10th June 2016.  Entries are limited to one per eligible child. No purchase is necessary to enter.

You'll have to hurry though, the competition closes on 10th April 2016, just a few short weeks away so get photographing.

We've got our entry in and Ieuan has already requested a French phrase book and some new footie boots.

Good luck!

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Beck Valley Book Tour - Starfish Island by Deborah Brown

NEW RELEASE....

A MYSTERIOUS INHERITANCE. A HANDSOME STRANGER. 

After a bad break-up, Nicole Alexander is ready for a change. When she inherits a house on Starfish Island from a grandmother she never knew, it seems like the perfect opportunity for starting over. But soon after moving in, Nicole receives a cryptic message warning her to leave immediately. 

Determined to get to the bottom of the hauntings, Nicole starts an investigation. When things get hot and heavy with one of the island’s most charismatic residents, Michael Edwards, Nicole begins to suspect his amorous attention might be a cover for dark motives. 

Will Nicole discover the reason for the island’s hostility before it’s too late? Can she fall for a man she doesn’t exactly trust? 

STARFISH ISLAND is best-selling author Deborah Brown’s first romantic suspense novel. If you love the charm and fast pace of her popular Paradise series, then you’ll love this engrossing romantic mystery.

Available to buy from...

Amazon Kindle    Barnes and Noble   Paperback

What did I think?

Starfish Island is a real page turner from Deborah Brown and it reminded me strongly of some of the classic romantic suspense fiction like Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier.  All the elements are there - a huge house in a remote location, staff who are deeply unpleasant and threatening and a romantic interest who is really hard to pin down right until the very end.

Throw in a lawyer who seems to be a touch too self-assured, an ex lover who is a complete cad and, refreshingly, some strong female characters and you have a story which is difficult to put down.

Nicole, Brown's heroine, is just the right side of independent, although I did find myself wishing she would be a lot more assertive when it came to dealing with a group of characters who treat her like a child when it is clear they don't have her best interests at heart.

The most clever aspect of Starfish Island which has a great mystery plot, is that it is very hard to know who is good and who is bad until the end.

And there is a very enjoyable and satisfying denouément.

There are a couple of quite explicit sex scenes though so you might want to avoid this one if that offends you.

All in all highly recommended.

About the Author

I've been writing, in one way or another for as long as I can remember; writing poetry, short stories, a romance novel secretly stashed under the bed and sappy love letters. Fiction should be fun. I wanted to create the perfect beach book, to make the reader laugh, cry and cheer... and then run out and tell their friends about it.

My love of reading began when I was seven, the day I opened the cover of my first Mrs. Piggle Wiggle book. Mrs. P gave lessons to other children in how to behave and to me I learned to love the written word. I live with my family and demon children aka rescue cats in South Florida.

Find the author on the following sites....

Website  Facebook, Twitter  Pinterest  Google+  Goodreads Amazon Author pages

Follow the Book Tour

I received this book to review through Beck Valley Books Book Tours, all the opinions above are 100% my own.

NOW FOR THE AUTHOR'S GIVEAWAY

Win $25 Amazon.com Giftcard / Paypal Cash
(winners choice)
Open Worldwide

Ending on Saturday 9th April at 11.59pm EST

Enter Below and Good Luck !!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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My Girl's Holiday Essentials - What's On Your List?

Now I'm going to state upfront that my list is probably not going to be your list.

And that the list of a woman in her 50's might differ ever so slightly from that of a twenty-something off to Aya-too-much-booze for 10 days of tattoo warping sunshine.

No. I have a much more traditional approach to going on holiday with the Husband and kids.  I like to think of it as "coming back healthy".

Some people like to come back 'refreshed' or 'energized'.

I like to avoid any possible communication with the Institute of Tropical Diseases (which happened on my return from a trip to Egypt  in 1988).

I'm afraid I have form, having managed to catch Pharaoh's Revenge.  My 24th birthday was spent lying prone in a hotel room in Luxor whilst nibbling on a Twix to get my sugar levels up and trying not to be sick.

I love to read other girls' packing lists.  During my single life, no trip anywhere was to be undertaken without a trawl through the floor-strewn merchandise of Primark for some Primarni t-shirts and knickers.

And of course it was de rigeur to pack so many toiletries into your suitcase that the plane had to extend its taxi up the runway just to lift off.

Today we have all learned to pack light (largely to avoid being charged extra by the budget airlines) - that, and the threat of terrorism.

Travelling has lost its innocence in many regards.

But I digress (as usual).

If I had to come up with a list of holiday essentials, then they would surely be

- suncream (protection factor 25+)
- smartphone
- Kindle (a duplication but I can't bear squinting at the small print on my phone)
- extra strength hair condition to avoid frizz
- a good lip-balm

It's not very Kim Kardashian, is it?

I suppose I ought to add the Husband and kids for the full family effect.

When you're a parent your chances of a holiday night out all glammed up tend to be remote in my experience.  

This makes lugging a full make-up kit rather unnecessary.

In fact the days when I actually get round to applying a full face of make-up are few and far between. Now I come to think of it, the last time was my wedding day in 2011.

Medication on the other hand is another matter entirely.  You can never be too prepared in my book so my toiletry bag(s) groan with Calpol, Nurofen, current prescriptions, earplugs (vital!), stomach medication, travel sickness pills - you name it and I could probably treat it.

You know I do wonder whether people really manage to relax on holiday or whether it's more about managing their neuroses in a different location.

I'm far more likely these days to spend time browsing in an online pharmacy than I am testing shimmer bricks, lippies and reformulated-for-summer perfumes and spritzes.

How times change!

Thank the Lord for wine.

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