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Friday, 13 May 2016

Review: It's Time To Make A Stand4socks - Socks That Make A Difference

Father's Day is approaching (Sunday 19 June) and one of the most popular presents to give your dad is some new socks.

Stand4socks Child Health Sock - motherdistracted.co.uk
Like my socks?
Now socks are a bit of a battleground in this house, not least because the Husband and I have very similar sized feet and this makes his sock drawer fair game.  Men's socks are so much more comfy I find.

All the Husband's socks are black with varying patterns.  (He's a man of habit).  He claims, outrageously, that I deliberately mismatch his socks as an act of marital defiance.

The thing is, matching 20 pairs of black socks in a dimly lit room wearing the wrong glasses is likely to create the odd, um,interesting pairing.

Dressing in the morning in the various London hotels he hides in all week means playing what he terms as "sock roulette".

Anyway,  I recently discovered a brand of socks which should solve my sock myopia nicely - and a brand, moreover, that has charity at its heart.

Stand4socks sells unique socks designed by entrepreneur Josh Turner.  Each pair is ethically made and creates a connection between two people in the world, as each sale has a 'buy one, give one' impact.

This means that when you buy a pair of socks, instead of giving a pair of socks or a percentage of the purchase to charity, the company gives a measurable, tangible aid in the form of education, food or medicine.

Not only this, but the company also raises funds and gives away nearly 20% of its revenue, not profit, to the charities they support.

Stand4socks is committed to tackling social causes and supports the United Nations Millennium Development Goals

Each sock design supports and raises awareness of a different cause such as Gender Equality, Measles Vaccinations, Clearing Landmines or the Syrian Refugee Crisis.

The socks have the cause's logo on the ankles and are ethically made in two sizes UK 4-8 and UK 9-12.  They have a high quality finish with a reinforced heel and toe and are made of 80% cotton, 18% polyamide and 2% elastane.

Here are some examples of what buying a pair of Stand4socks can do.

1 pair of Stand4socks can

- plant 20 trees
- vaccinate 6 kids against measles in Bangladesh
- provide 25 days education in Afghanistan
- provide 2 antenatal check ups in Uganda
- clear 2 metres of landmines in Laos
- provide entrepreneurship education in South America
- pay for a child's healthcare in Uganda
- provide 2 weeks education to a Syrian refugee
- provide 24 hours in a safe house for a woman and her family in Ethiopia

The socks are priced differently according to the cause they are linked to.

I was sent a pair of socks designed to raise awareness of Child Health Issues which are priced at £6.99.

Stand4socks Child Health Sock - motherdistracted.co.uk
Time To Stand4socks
This design helps support the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 3, "Good Health" through one pair of socks paying for a child's healthcare in a Ugandan unique children's hospital Stand4socks supports.

More than half of the Ugandan population is under the age of 15, and dying children are turned away for parents without any money. This is why the brand supports (Stand4) Whisper’s Magical Children’s Hospital in Jinja, Uganda.

Isn't that a wonderful idea?

Does it make a tangible difference?  Well, in December 2015 as an example, Stand4socks planted 2500 trees, vaccinated 228 children and provided 252 days of education of Syrian refugees.

Stand4socks December impacts - motherdistracted.co.uk
This is what Stand4socks helped to do in December 2015
This Fathers' Day, if you're buying dad socks why not buy him some which do good as well as keep his feet warm.

And they're so brightly coloured I don't think there's any danger of the Husband having to play sock roulette.

I may even actually buy a few pairs of my own.

You can find more information and select your socks at www.Stand4socks.com.

*I was sent a pair of Stand4socks to review - and they're staying in my sock drawer.

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New Releases, Free & Bargain Books Link-up 13 May 2016



It's Friday 13th and if, like me, you're a bit superstitious, the safest thing to do is to stay in tonight and curl up with a good book!  You'll find plenty to choose from on this week's linky.

If you're working hard to tone up with your beach holiday, check out my latest review of Lisa Consiglio Ryan's great guide to all year round detoxing - "Go Clean, Sexy You".  You might have to hide the biscuits though.

Here's the fab books on offer this week.

Sharing the Love of Books
Enjoy our selection of New Releases / Free & Bargain Books this week

Click HERE for this week's awesome selection.

Authors please feel free to add your own books
Readers please free to add your own finds
(any genre except erotica welcome)

This weekly link up is hosted by Beck Valley Books & these awesome book loving blogs...
Monday
 Life as Leels | IrishdaisylovesRomance | Book Babble | All Romance Reader
Tuesday
It's My Side of Life | Celticlady's Reviews | First Time Mommy Adventures | Bound 2 Escape
Wednesday
Beck Valley BooksA Library of Reviews | Cinnamon Hollow Reviews
Thursday
Miki's Hope | Taking Time for Mommy | Nicki's Nook
Friday
Ebook Addicts | I Love Romance | A Bit Bookish | Mother Distracted | Colorimetry
Saturday
Totally Addicted to Reading | 3 Partners in Shopping | Angie's Angle I Creat Purty Thangs | Wishful Endings
Sunday
Lynchburg Mama | LibriAmoriMieiAli - The Dragon Slayer | Wondermom WannabeMy Bizzy World |  Deal Sharing Aunt 


For Pre-orders post - PRE-ORDER / genre / title /author
For New Releases post - NEW / genre / title / author
For Free Books post - FREE / genre / title / author / end date 
For Bargain Books post - SALE / price / genre / title / author / end date
(Strictly no Erotica please.  Steamy romance is fine but watch those covers people, incase any underage child is viewing it!)

Click HERE for this week's awesome selection.

And don't forget you can always add some of your own!
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Thursday, 12 May 2016

Plant Based Sensitive Skin Treatments From BodyVerde & Giveaway

Back in 2008, Sue Donnellan's husband, a jet pilot in the military, complained that where water was in short supply, shaving was not easy, quick and painless.



As a result, a product called Speed Shave was formulated and extensively tested to offer a ground-breaking waterless shave and BodyVerde was formed.

Over the last 10 years, BodyVerde, an American natural skincare company has offered a range of products based on naturally derived botanicals and renewable resources.  The products are designed to care for your skin without causing harm to the environment and there are no parabens, propylene glycol, mineral oil, petroleum, artificial colours or any of the other common chemical nasties.

The brand has now launched the range in the UK with 5 of the bestsellers initially.



Speed Shave (£13.30, 236ml) – a revolutionary new series of unisex waterless shaving products that protect and hydrate the skin while you shave without the need to lather or rinse.

Speed Shave To Go (£12) – A portable razor with Speed Shave lotion in the handle so you can shave without water absolutely anywhere.

Spot On (£14.95, 15ml) – Everyone suffers from the occasional breakout. Spot On uses nutrient-rich kaolin clay to blitz those spots while you sleep.

Pore Tight (£16.50, 15ml) – This lightweight serum rich in vitamin E, berry fruit and marine plant extracts, makes a fabulous primer, all the while working to make your pores less visible.

Miracle Skin Renew (£14.95, 15ml) – The ultimate multi-tasker! Made from 16 of nature's most skin-friendly and healing plant oils, Miracle Skin Renew Serum is nature’s ‘Medicine Chest in a Bottle’ designed to repair any damage from cuts and grazes to sunburn and stretch marks.

I was sent a bottle of Miracle Skin Renew to try and it is proving very useful indeed.  I've tried it on flaky patches of skin on my face, dry skin on the backs of my hands and on other assorted nicks and scratches I seem to acquire whenever I am let loose in the kitchen.


It's a light, easily absorbed oil and you only need a few drops.  It does have a light fragrance but it is a natural, pleasant smell.

It's made from a blend of 16 essential plant oils - Sea Buckthorn, Soybean, Sesame, Jojoba, Coconut, Grape Seed, Meadowfoam, Borage, Rosehip, Casot Bean, Andiroba, Shea, Avocado, Squalane, Wheat Germ and Hempseed.

Because there are no additives it is safe to use on the kids.  You can use it on burns, sunburns, wrinkles and even chapped lips. You only need a couple of drops so the bottle will last a long time.

It's easy to carry in your make-up bag and to take on holiday with you.

Giveaway

I have one BodyVerde Miracle Skin Renew (£14.95) and one Speed Shave Lotion (£13.50) to give away to one lucky winner.

Entry is via the Rafflecopter widget below.  UK entrants only and the usual terms and conditions apply.  The giveaway ends at 11:59 pm on Friday 10th June 2016.

For more information on BodyVerde, please visit www.body-verde.com Available from independent health stores, Amazon and www.body-verde.com

Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway


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One Of The Worst Things About Depression For A Parent

Acres of words have been written about depression and what I am about to write will be no earth shattering insight into this dreadful disease for those of you who already suffer its blight.


But I am prompted to write this post following the recent news of the death of writer and columnist Sally Brampton who took her own life this week after many years spent fighting her depression.

I find myself greatly saddened and unsettled by the news.

Sally's book "Shoot The Damn Dog" received much praise for the candour and accuracy of the description of her battle with the disease.

She wrote, with great poignancy, "‘Killing oneself is, anyway, a misnomer. We don’t kill ourselves. We are simply defeated by the long, hard struggle to stay alive.’

I have a mild form of depression which, at its worst, sucks the joy out of existence and turns everything grey.

For those of us suffering this burden, nothing gives any pleasure.  It doesn't matter how much we have or how many gratitude lists we write but at some essential level we just cannot 'connect'.

Trapped in our own heads, we can only watch with a sort of helplessness as life carries on around, and inspite of, us.

Proof, as though we needed it, that in our heads we don't matter.

We feel like puppets whose strings have been cut, only able to twitch but not quite move.

The worst thing, for a parent suffering from depression, is that we cannot receive love.  And we cannot seem to find the impetus to show it either - even when we know that those around us are crying out for acknowledgement, a smile, a glimpse into our soul to say "it will be alright".

Somehow we need to explain to our children that our emotional deadlock does not mean we don't love them.

This is one of our greatest challenges.

Today I imagine that any of us suffering from this curse and having read this news will be feeling a little more down.  If Sally couldn't make it after fighting so hard, can we find the strength to carry on?

We know we must.

But we also know that getting to the point where we want to, the lights go back on and the carousel starts to whirl again to the sound of music, well, that may be a very long journey.

If you are living with a sufferer then please keep an extra special eye on them today.

If help is needed you can call the Samaritans on 116123, visit a local Samaritans branch or go to www.samaritans.org.

You can find a list of alternative helplines here.
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Wednesday, 11 May 2016

Birthday Gift Ideas Your Son Will Love

Buying for a boy can be harder than girls. There just seems to be more choice out there for girls. From princess themed things to everything pink. While you shouldn’t gender stereotype there doesn’t to be much out there for boys. Especially older boys. So I thought it would be a good idea to share with you some ideas for a birthday gift that your son will love.

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Sourced Image

Vouchers 

It may seem like a boring present to some. But vouchers can come from all different companies these days. You could stick with a clothing store or shop voucher. Which would go down well with an older boy, allowing them to pick some new clothes. Or you could go down a different voucher route. Things like experience days or Paintball Vouchers would go down well. Paintballing is something that can be a lot of fun for a group of people to take part, so that it could be part of a birthday party as well. Experience days offer all kinds of options from driving a race car to a hot air balloon ride. There will be something to appeal to your son.

Sports lessons 

Maybe your son has shown an interest in taking up a new hobby. Perhaps something like boxing or football. Maybe even street dancing or hockey. Whatever it may be you could buy a block amount of lessons so that they can try it out. They may fall in love it and it could be a new lease of life for them.

New clothes 

If you know your son’s style then why not pick out some new clothes for them. Again it may be perceived as a boring present, but everyone needs clothes. You might want to indulge them a little and buy something designer. If that is their thing of course.

Games console 

A lot of boys these days like to play online on a games console, so if your son needs a new one, then a birthday is a perfect occasion to get one sorted. Some boys tend to play online with their friends from school.

Games for a games console 

If they already have the latest games console, then some new games will always go down well. There is always some new release available.

DVD’s 

If your son is a bit of a movie buff then why not get them some new DVD’s to enjoy. You may even want to go one step further and get them a DVD player for their bedroom. As much as you will want to spend time with them, it would be nice for them to have somewhere to watch their films and enjoy them in peace.

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The latest gadget 

Finally, you could consider the latest gadget to hit the market. That may be the newest phone, an iPod, some fitness device that tracks their steps. It could be anything. There is always something new and exciting to on the market, and some boys can’t get enough of the new technology.  It depends on your budget, of course.

I hope this guide helps you buy a birthday gift for your son.
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Tuesday, 10 May 2016

Nail Polish Hacks From Diet Coke + Essie

Until 24 May Diet Coke and essie have teamed up to give Boots shoppers the chance to pick up a 500ml bottle of Diet Coke and an essie nail polish in one of three shades - Cocktail Bling, Fiji or Fishnet Stockings at the special price of £5.99 (standard price £9.39).

If you fancy being a little more experimental with your mani, Diet Coke and essie have come up with some quirky and fun ways to jazz up your nails.

Embrace texture

Some of the textured nail looks need a super steady hand, but you can achieve a sophisticated textured look with one tool you’d never dream of: your Diet Coke bottle lid.



Simply apply a base level of polish and let it touch dry. Then lightly brush another polish into the ridges on the side of the bottle lid. Once you have done this, it’s time to get creative. You can create track marks by pressing down on the nail (try creating a track mark down the middle of your nail) or rolling the lid across the nail.

Go ombre

If you’re a fan of ombre hair, try the trend out on your nails. All you need is two of your fave polish shades and a Diet Coke bottle label. Here they've used essie’s Fiji shade as a base.


Let it touch dry for about 3 minutes, then roll up the bottle label into a tight tube and paint the Cocktail Bling polish onto the top of the tube. Then blot starting at the tip of the nail. Give the tip more heavy coverage and then blot lightly up to the middle of the nail to create the ombre effect.

Freeze-dry your mani

Nail polish dries more quickly in cool temperatures and you can freeze-dry your polish in place in just 5 minutes. Before painting your nails, fill a bowl with ice cold water (ice cubes included). Once you’ve painted your nails, let them air dry for 2 minutes before submerging them in the icy water for 3 minutes. Voila, your nails will be ready for their next outing.

Easy + fun nail art ALERT!

Use a kirby grip to make perfect dots on your nails. Here they’ve used essie nail polish in Fishnet Stockings – the bold shade contrasts nicely against the pale essie nail polish in Fiji to give real impact.



These essie polishes are available on promotion at Boots now (buy a 500ml Diet Coke + essie polish for £5.99 while stocks last).

Smooth finish 

Just as the great taste of Diet Coke is best enjoyed ice cold, nail polish also performs best in the fridge. For your polish to go on smoothly every time, keep it in the fridge or even pop it in for 15 minutes before application.

Diet Coke + essie would love to see photos of you trying out our Diet Coke + essie nail polish hacks using your 500ml Diet Coke bottle and the essie nail polishes.

Share the photos with @DietCokeGB on Twitter & Instagram, use the hashtag #DietCokebeautybreak and they'll send a ‘Like’ your way.

Offer starts 27.04.16 and ends 24.05.16 or while stocks last, participating Boots stores only, age 13+. Terms & conditions apply: http://CokeURL.com/o erterms © 2016 The Coca Cola Company. DIET COKE is a registered trademark of The Coca-Cola Company
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Win A Good Clean Summer With Astonish Cleaners

I have to confess that I am new to the Astonish range of cleaning products but came across a forum thread on Mumsnet the other day where I found that at least one of their products is a best kept secret with a myriad of uses.


Given that you can be guaranteed eye-watering levels of honesty on any Mumsnet discussion board, I read on to discover that mums were using Astonish Oven & Cookware Cleaning Paste on grimy light switches, furniture scrapes, burned pans and patio furniture.

I was intrigued and wanted to try some Astonish Products for myself and I was kindly sent a selection to test.

I have to report that the Mumsnet ladies are correct.  The Oven & Cookware Cleaning Paste cuts quickly through grease whilst the Window & Glass Cleaner brings glass up to a lovely shine. The Daily Shower Cleaner can be just sprayed on and left and has a nice fresh fragrance.  (You rinse it off before getting in the shower).

I will be giving the other products a thorough road test .  I don't like to do too much cleaning in one go because it gives the Husband ideas - although sunlight is a real nuisance for showing up dust, isn't it?

If you would like to win a fabulous selection of Astonish cleaners to try for yourself, just read on.

This year, Astonish are encouraging us to have a "good, clean summer" because, as they point out, whilst we all love the taste, sights and sounds of summer – we don’t love the stains and grime that comes from enjoying the sunshine and making the most of the great outdoors!

They have given me a fabulous Good Clean Summer Pack to give away to one lucky winner which will leave their home and clothes as bright as the sunshine.

You can have good clean fun with Astonish’s Oxy Plus Stain Remover, a stain remover that will tackle soiled laundry and get rid of any nasty reminders from your fun filled days.

To get your garden furniture all white and as good as new with the Astonish Oven & Cookware Paste and also blitz that barbecue with Grease Lifter tablets.

There’s also the Stain Remover Target Spray, Fabric Refresher and Clean and Protect Hand wash included in the pack.

What’s more, Astonish will also restock your everyday cleaning essentials – helping you to give your home a quick, daily clean. The essentials include the Daily Shower Cleaner, 4 in 1 Disinfectant Spray, Window and Glass Cleaner, All in 1 Dishwasher Tablets and Fresh Sea Mist Floor Cleaner.

Your good clean summer pack, which will be packaged in a convenient cleaning caddy, contains products that are Vegetarian Society Approved and registered with Cruelty Free International and the Vegan Society.

For more details about Astonish and its range of British manufactured cleaning products please visit www.astonishcleaners.co.uk or www.facebook.com/astonishcleaners

Entry is via the Rafflecopter widget below. UK entrants only. The usual terms and conditions apply and the giveaway ends at 11:59 pm on Friday 3rd June.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good luck.

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