Ways to Protect Your Skin Against the Spring Chill

Although Spring is here, it doesn't mean that we can kiss the chilly weather goodbye just yet. Dry air and harsh temperatures can wreak havoc on our delicate skin.

Fortunately, with the right products, you can keep your skin healthy, supple, and protected against the elements.

Read on to learn seven tips for nourishing your skin despite the weather.

1. Cover Up

It is easier to protect skin from the elements than to try and help skin recover once it has been exposed. By wearing hats, scarves, and gloves, you can easily protect some of your most vulnerable areas against environmental assaults.

2. Give Your Shampoo a Break

During winter, the dry air can cause hair to become brittle and prone to static. To keep hair healthier, consider skipping a day or two between washes. This will allow hair to retain extra moisture and fight static.

3. Remember Your Lips 

Although lips are often forgotten in beauty routines, they are crucial to pamper in order to protect them against the harsh conditions of winter. Consider using a lip balm, such as EOS, that focuses on nourishing, natural, hydrating ingredients such as shea butter and Vitamin E.

4. Guard Against the Sun

Even in winter, sunscreen is a non-negotiable component of your skin care routine. Since UV rays are capable of penetrating clouds and reflecting off of snow, sunscreen is an essential requirement for each day of the year.

5. Bump up Your Beauty Routine

During winter, it might be necessary to boost the moisture in your daily beauty routine. Consider using products with hydrating, heavy-duty moisturizers such as natural oils, hyaluronic acid, and shea butter.

6. Show Your Hands Some Love

As with lips, hands are another area that often gets forgotten. In winter, it is likely that you are washing your hands more than usual. This extra washing promotes dryness and can lead to small micro-tears in the skin. Remember to frequently apply lotion and oils to keep hands hydrated and smooth.

7. Hydrate From the Inside Out

In addition to keeping your skin moisturized on the outside, be sure to drink adequate amounts of fluids during the day. Proper hydration will help strengthen your skin and raise moisture levels.  

Overall, the change of seasons does not need to be a time of dry, itchy, raw, uncomfortable skin. By pampering your skin with the right products, you can enjoy healthy skin all year round.

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Involving The Children In Your Next Dinner Party

Keeping up with your friends can be quite tricky when you have a young family. You may find you have very little time to get out and about for coffee or nights out. 

A great compromise is to throw a dinner party at your house, this will save you on babysitting costs and will mean you can have a nice drink without having to drive.

Image credit

Depending on the age of your children it might be hard to organise an impressive dinner and keep the little ones out of your hair, so instead of battling to keep them away, why not set them some tasks and get a little help.

Canapes are a really wonderful way of getting your guests in the mood and delivering a really stylish event. They are a great introduction to a special night and will make your guests feel like they are part of something really special. 

Brilliantly simple to prepare and serve you could buy a little time by asking your children to get some inspiration from a website. Checking out a cool company which serve up canapes to their guests might get their little minds buzzing over some creative ideas.

Small hands are required for small food and if you can choose an easy canape such as tomato and basil sticks or little pastries with salmon and cream cheese, you may find that your children are more capable of constructing them than you are. Washed hands are a must, you want to make sure your guests aren’t sharing more than their creative skills. 

Set up a nice clean space and then show them what you need and how many. If you prepare all the cutting and cooking. They can help by doing the fiddly bits. This might give you enough time to work on the main dinner courses and will certainly keep the children busy.

Once your guests arrive, give your kids some responsibilities. These will be age dependent. Older children can offer drinks and let you know what has been ordered, then carry them to your friends. 

Younger children could collect up coats and take them to a spare room for later in the evening. Providing they are confident at carrying you can ask children of any age to serve the canapes and keep your guests entertained whilst you make your final preparations. Having a couple of waiters at your event is certainly going to make your life easier.

When bedtime comes, you could have a deal with them. Perhaps setting up a film night in their bedrooms so you don’t have to sit with them and leave your friends unattended. Just pop your head up every now and then so they don’t feel you have forgotten about them. 

Chances are they will be popping their heads downstairs more often than you’d like, but allow it. It’s exciting for children when there are people in their homes and providing you aren’t having parties every night, one late bedtime isn’t going to hurt.

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Are We There Yet? Holidaying With Kids Without The Stress

Everyone has fond memories of family vacations that they took when they were younger. You can remember the amazing places you discovered, the games you played, the fun you had. For many people, these are often some of the best memories that they have. 

Of course, one thing that you're never going to remember is the level of stress that your parents may well have been dealing with the entire time! Let's not beat around the bush here, traveling with kids can be a seriously stressful experience. Of course, it's also absolutely wonderful, and family vacations really are the best things in the world. But in an ideal world, you would be able to do everything that you can do avoid any problems getting in the way of creating those wonderful memories. 

Well, don't you worry because there are things that you can do in order to do just that! Here are some simple ways that you can take the stress out of traveling with your little ones.

Pack in advance



Picture From Flickr

Packing is often the first, and perhaps biggest source of stress when you're planning on traveling with kids. That's why the best thing that you can do is to get started on it as early as possible. That way you avoid the mad rush to get everything thrown into a suitcase at the last minute. So that you don't have to do it all yourself, why not make a list of everything that your kids need to take, they can even help with it, and then have them pack the bag themselves. That way, even if they miss things, you've got plenty of time to check it over and make sure that nothing ends up getting left behind.

Be careful with your money

One top of all of the other stress that often comes with traveling with kids, you don't want to have to deal with the money worries that travel can sometimes bring. There are plenty of travel tips out there on how to save money while on vacation and by being careful with your money you can take that load off your mind and focus on the fun you're having with your family.

Set up travel entertainment




Picture From Pixnio

As much as kids love taking trips and vacations, one thing that they simply cannot stand is long journeys. Now, if you're really lucky then your kids will simply sleep through the entire journey, but if it's especially long, or they're just too excited, then you're going to need a way to keep them entertained. 

Make sure that you have plenty of books, comics, magazines and travel games at your disposal. That way you can keep their attention focussed for as long as possible. You might even want to invest in a portable DVD player for them so they can watch their favorite movies on. If you can keep them entertained, then you just might be able to go the entire trip without a single "are we there yet?"

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New Releases, Free & Bargain Books Link-up Week 10 2017

How are you all this week?  It's back to school in the wind and rain this week.  Have you noticed how it always starts to rain around school run time?!

The kids really enjoyed St. David's Day and World Book Day and it was strange to send them off to school in their actual school uniform this morning!

It was great to have some focus on reading, rather than anything i-related this week.

I really enjoyed Deborah Brown's Hurricane in Paradise with those two feisty female detectives Fab and Madison and look out for my review of Scars (Time of Myths: Shapeshifter Sagas) by Natasha S. Brown which is a corker too.

As usual, there are some great books on the linky for us grown-ups - and don't forget you can always add your own to spread a bit of the book love.

Don't forget that I still have plenty to be won on my competitions page and don't forget my problem page here.

Happy bargain and freebie book hunting on this link.

Have a great week!

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

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 
Wednesday
Beck Valley Books | Cinnamon Hollow Reviews
Thursday
Miki's Hope | Nicki's Nook
Friday
Ebook Addicts | I Love Romance | Colorimetry | The Ultimate Fan Blog | Mother Distracted
Saturday
Totally Addicted to Reading | 3 Partners in Shopping | Angie's Angle | I Create Purty Thangs | Wishful Endings
Sunday
Lynchburg Mama | LibriAmoriMiei | Ali - The Dragon Slayer | Wondermom Wannabe | Deal Sharing Aunt | Rambling Reviews 

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 weeks awesome selection!

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Moving House With Children In Tow!

They say moving house is one of the most stressful things you can do. I wonder if whoever said that had kids at the time? If you’ve got toddlers you’ve got to keep one eye on them and one eye on the moving van. If you’ve got tweenagers, they won't help at all. It’s a battle that seems impossible to win! But here we go, a simple guide to a simple and stress-free moving day.



Pixabay

Before setting off, make sure you have the kids’ supplies separate to the rest of the other stuff. Toys, a change of clothes, I-pads, keep them all separate. You're going to use them to distract your kids for most of the day. Pack a lunch for everyone too, because everyone is going to get tired and running to your nearest fast food restaurant isn’t just taking time out of your day, but it’s also very unhealthy, and on a day like today you need to make sure you’ve got a healthy family.

While all the anticipation of moving day means you are in a packing frenzy, you may forget about little details, like changing over all of your addresses. Luckily the Royal Mail provide a post redirection service for a fee, which lasts a few months or however long you need it to go on so you can make an easy transition. Look here for the royal mail contact number so you can put it in place. There are so many things to think about during a big move that you don’t want the added hassle of going back to your old home to pick up the post, especially if it’s 200 miles away!



www.publicdomainpictures.net

When moving the kids’ stuff into the new home, it’s best to make their rooms a priority, so they have at least somewhere to sleep. With things like cots and cribs, it may be best to implement a relay setup, so while one person is on the van unloading and one person to carry the items to the door and the third person to move the items in. Once the items are in, two of the three people can put the items into place, and one is left to screw the cribs and bedding together. When moving items into the home, you are best moving the bulkier ones first, like the sofa and TV, because you can put them in place and all the smaller items can go around them. It makes life so much easier.

If your kids want to help, then they can move smaller items, like chairs. But have some common sense at hand. Nothing too heavy or anything with pointy bits, because you’ll be going to the hospital in-between moving cabinets!

Lastly, it can feel like a race against time, especially if the van has to be back at the rental place by 5, just breathe through it! Taking it one step at a time is much less stressful than getting in a state. While your kids can make it more difficult than it already is, if they can help, then it is a help!

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Living Life Ready - Calm Your Anxiety Naturally With Kalms Lavender

Here's an interesting question for you.  Do you know the difference between stress and anxiety?

We tend to use these terms interchangeably, but there are definite differences between the two.

We experience stress when our feelings threaten to overwhelm us in situations where the demands made on us are greater than our ability to manage.

We often know exactly what the source of our stress is too - for example starting a new job, sitting an exam or attending an interview.

Anxiety, on the other hand, is an unease about something with an uncertain outcome. Anxiety can exist even when the cause of the worry is gone.  I'm frequently told "it's all in your head"!

Did you know that almost one in five people say they feel anxious a lot or all of the time? Anxiety has become a common problem in our daily lives.

Symptoms of anxiety include feelings of worry, apprehension and uncertainty.

We feel we are worrying all the time, perhaps about things that are a regular part of everyday life or things that are unlikely to happen.  Some of us even worry about worrying.

But anxiety, and especially prolonged anxiety, can have a negative effect on the body.  We may suffer a racing heartbeat, nausea, headaches, and muscle tension.

There is no doubt that long term, anxiety can impact on quality of life and wellbeing. So what can we do to better manage these feelings?

If your anxiety is severe, you should talk to your GP or perhaps ring a helpline best suited to the nature of your problem.

If, however, your anxiety is mild there are plenty of ways you can help yourself to manage your fears and take better care of yourself in order to cope.

Whilst you are taking steps to make your life more manageable, you could also try a new supplement to help relieve the symptoms of mild anxiety.

Kalms Lavender One-A-Day Capsules is a traditional herbal medicinal product which contains uniquely prepared, pharmaceutical quality lavender oil.

The product is used for the temporary relief of the symptoms of mild anxiety such as stress and nervousness, exclusively based on the long standing use of lavender as a traditional herbal remedy.

You see when we are anxious we may suffer from  an  "Anxiety Imbalance" where the nerve cells in the brain become over stimulated, due to the excessive release of neurotransmitters - the brains chemical messengers - such as dopamine and adrenaline.

This leads to hyperactive nerves which are excessively ‘switched on’ - an imbalance which can result in symptoms of anxiety.

The results of over 15 clinical trials have shown that a daily capsule of lavender oil can noticeably relieve the symptoms of anxiety in just one to two weeks - and those benefits are comparable to commonly used anti-anxiety medications.

One study found that symptoms in 70% of those taking the lavender oil capsules were rated as ‘much’ or ‘very much’ improved when reassessed by researchers at the end of treatment.

Lavender oil is the active ingredient found only in Kalms Lavender One-A-Day Capsules in the UK- and the research suggests that it can reduce the overstimulation of nerve cells leading to an improvement in symptoms of anxiety.

Kalms are encouraging us all to #livelifeready so that we enjoy our days to the full no matter what symptoms anxiety may throw at us!

It's surprising how it's often the little things that set us worrying.  These are some of the things I worried about this week.

- Mathew flying to Canada for work - I am always worried about plane crashes!

- St. David's Day - do you think I could find safety pins to pin Caitlin's Welsh Lady shawl?

- World Book Day - I can't sew for toffee and we are always scrabbling about to get some sort of costume together at the last minute.

- Cooking - or more specifically what to have for tea.

- The kids actually eating the tea I've cooked.

- My glasses not fitting (readers of this blog will know just how much stress this gives me!)

- The constant hissing in my ears - thanks Tinnitus!

My usual coping mechanisms involve hot baths, early nights, reading a good book and a glass of wine - like many parents across the land, and you can find more of my suggestions for managing your anxiety in this post.

Here are some more brilliant #livelifeready tips from Kalms.

1. Slow and steady

If you’re feeling anxious, try taking slow deep breaths; calmly inhaling for 4 seconds through your nose, then exhaling for the same via your mouth. Studies show practising a breathing technique can stimulate the part of the nervous system responsible for relaxation, helpful in reducing anxiety.

2. Take a mindful moment

Mindfulness - the practice of being present in the moment and noticing our feelings, body, thoughts and environment - has been found to improve mental wellbeing and be beneficial for anxiety. Being mindful can be as simple as paying more attention to things we touch, see, smell and hear, like savouring our morning cup of coffee, rather than being caught up in our whirring thoughts. Visit NHS Choices for an introduction to Mindfulness.

3. Know your triggers

Knowing what exacerbates your anxiety is an important step in addressing the issue. Often we avoid situations that make us feel anxious – but this is counterproductive and can make our fears worse. Facing what we’re worried about can help alleviate the anxious feelings – whether it’s been making that phone call you’ve been putting off, replying to an email or even tidying the house.

4. Time to talk

Sharing your worries with a trusted family member or friend can make them seem less daunting, and voicing your fears out loud may help you put them into perspective. You can also turn to anxiety support organisations for advice in times of need.

5. Write it down

Try taking some time at the end of each day to write your worries down. Offloading thoughts in this way may help you slow down your thinking, step away from a continuous cycle of worry and clear the mind. Writing a to do list also allows you to commit to paper all the tasks you still need to complete – without spending excessive time thinking about, and trying to remember, them.

In order to get a bit better at living life ready, I have been trying Kalms Lavender One-A-Day and after just one capsule I felt noticeably calmer and more relaxed.  In fact I felt so calm I could have taken a nap!

These do seem to help.  Just take one capsule with a glass of water.

The packaging does state clearly that the product may impair your ability to drive or use machines so make sure you read the label.

The product is not suitable for the under 18s, if you are pregnant or breastfeeding or are allergic to the product ingredients.

I would say that for periods of mild anxiety Kalms Lavender One-A-Day capsules are certainly worth a try but if your symptoms do not improve after 2 weeks you need to see your GP.

Kalms Lavender One-A-Day capsules are available in Boots, Asda and online at www.kalmsrange.com RRP £6.49

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My Problem Page Edition 9 2017

This week I'm talking about whether a toxic relationship calls for time out to parent the kids, how to deal with someone you fancy who doesn't want a relationship but keeps calling anyway, and whether your kids should love you unconditionally.

If you would like any advice, feel free to treat me as your agony aunt. Just message me or pop a comment in the comment box at the end of this post. I promise to be gentle.

Here are this week's questions.

Q: If your relationship is toxic, would you take a time out to parent your children? 

You can't live together or without each other. You constantly break up and get back together. The love is strong but you can't seem to make it work and your children are caught in the middle.

A: It depends on the reason why you keep breaking up. 

If it is infidelity then putting your children through this is unfair, let alone the effect on the partner who is being cheated on. 

If it is the usual niggles of being in a long term relationship, then, forgive me, but a lot of people would say you both need to grow up and focus on your children. 

I am not saying it isn’t difficult or draining - because I’m sure it is, but you talk about your relationship as if it is a teenage romance “the love is strong but you can’t seem to make it work”. 

Sit down together and talk. Decide whether you are committed to making this work once and for all. 

If you are the one being cheated on then it is up to you to say “enough”. This is what I will and will not put up with and stick to it. 

Ultimatums don’t work but firm, committed action may. 

Have you considered family or relationship counselling? Could a family member take the children for a bit while you work through your differences? 

I wish you luck but I do think you need to stand firm now and stop this endless cycle which is making everybody miserable.

Q: Why do I hear so many people talk about how they have to "look good" together with their partner? 

People say there should be a “nice” height difference (I’m told 4–8 in) and couples should look equally fashionable and attractive. Do people think of themselves as furniture? I understand needing physical attraction but this seems a shallow way to view compatibility.

A: I quite agree with you. It is an incredibly shallow way of looking at compatability and whilst I think we all gravitate towards a certain ‘type’, there are absolutely no rules. 

If you are going to spend your life looking for someone with a 4–8 inch height difference, as opposed to a lovely, kind, thoughtful person who makes you happy, then you are going to have a lonely life. 

I really wouldn’t set much store on comments like this. 

Wouldn’t you rather be a partner than a book-end?

Q: Is it your kids' job to love you as their parent?

A: There’s no question that children should be taught respect - for themselves and for the other people in their life. 

It may be that they also feel an unconditional love for their parents but it is not their ‘job’ and in many ways love, like respect has to be earned. 

It’s easy, though, for us mothers to feel a bit unloved and taken for granted but I think that’s life. After all, you have to let them go at some point. 

So they may love us very much indeed but see absolutely no necessity whatsoever to show us that. 

I usually find with my two that it’s when they’re poorly or when something bad happens that they really need me - and that’s when you see the depth of their feelings. 

But, if you want something that loves you unconditionally and without question, you’re probably better off getting a dog. 

And if your real question is “am I being a good enough parent”, then I’m sure you are.

Q: What is the most polite way to let a man know you want him to stop calling everyday? 

I wanted a relationship and he didn't. He also didn't tell me he wants to stay friends and I don't want him as a friend. Yet he dials me everyday and I feel like my time is wasted where I could be doing something else instead of useless talk. How do I politely let him know? We also work together.

A: It’s obviously trickier because you work together but if he has been clear with you that he doesn’t want a relationships then I think you can just say “look I’m really busy and I don’t have the time for long conversations” or something. Hopefully he’ll get the message. 

If not then do you have number recognition on your phone? If so you can simply not pick up the call. 

Also if he calls at the same time every day, again, don’t answer. Or when you pick up the phone just say “I’m in the middle of something right now I’ll have to catch you later”. 

I’m sure if you do this a few times he’ll get the hint. 

I sense that you don’t want to tell him to stop phoning in case he changes his mind about a relationship and it may be he already has, hence the constant phoning. 

Or he knows how you feel and is enjoying the attention. In which case, the sooner you end the phone calls the better. 

Time to be assertive.

Q: When a girl ignores my text sometimes does it mean that she might be testing me and I have a feeling that she likes me?

A: It could. It could equally mean that she is becoming irritated by you texting her and isn’t really interested. 

You honestly cannot tell via a text. 

If you think she likes you, then ask her out on a date and stop hiding behind your phone. 

If she turns you down then at least you will know how she really feels and not waste any more time chasing a relationship that is going nowhere.

How would you have responded to these questions? I'd love to know. You can find more advice on my problem page.

Disclaimer: All materials included in this post are intended for informational purposes only. This post/information is not intended to and should not be used to replace medical or psychiatric advice offered by physicians or other health care providers. The author will not be liable for any direct, indirect, consequential, special, exemplary or other damages arising therefrom. 

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