Review: The Clarisonic Aria from CurrentBody.com - Music To My Skin

I remember, in the 1970's having a facial scrub brush which was a simple battery operated device that would cheerfully exfoliate the skin. 

It got abandoned in due course because a heavy duty scrub, like Apri (an apricot shell scrub) would do the job just as well. 

And, having young, healthy skin didn't require much more than a light buffing.

Fast forward to today, just seven weeks short of my 50^th birthday and my, how things have changed.

Two young kids (aged 6 and 4) both born in my mid forties have created, understandably, a massive shift in my beauty routine. 

What used to be a regular cleanse, tone, moisturise routine has now been generally reduced to a quick spruce up with a facial cleansing wash, removed with a flannel twice a day. 

I've always been quite careful to avoid the sun so I don't think I am too wrinkly but the healthy glow I used to have has vanished in favour of making sure the kids do their teeth and getting them either out of the door or into bed on time.

The opportunity to test the Clarisonic Aria from www.currentbody.com came just at the right time.

And it is a seriously sophisticated piece of kit. 

Fully rechargable, portable and programmable, the Clarisonic cleanses up to 6 times more effectively than washing your face by hand. 

It has three speeds and comes with its own drying stand which also becomes a charging unit by addition of a magnetic USB charger.

I love to read beauty blogs but am often deeply suspicious at 'rave reviews'; by the time you get to 50, you have used a lot of products and generally feel that there is little new under the sun(screen)! 

But, cynic that I am, I have to say I noticed an immediate improvement in the tone and colour of my skin. 

I haven't worn foundation for ages so friends and family are used to my slightly less than fresh pallor but my hubby remarked (without prompting) that the Aria had given my skin a healthier tone.

My skin looks better than it has in ages.

The brush is very easy to use and has timer settings to guide you. 

You hold the brush against your face and move it in gentle circles for 20 second on your forehead, 20 seconds on your nose and chin and 10 seconds on each cheek. 

That's it. 

One minute! 

In your kit there is also a sample size of refreshing cleansing gel which has lovely fresh smell and lathers up with just the smallest amount.

It is recommended that the brush head (which is detachable) should be changed once every three months or so.

I agreed to test the Clarisonic Aria for a period of 5 weeks after which the brush would either be returned or purchased at a discounted price. 

This seems to me an entirely sensible approach to testing a product like this because it is easier to be truly objective when you are considering investing in your beauty routine.

The Aria retails around the £155 mark, however, being a fan of spa treatments, it was easy to compare against the price of a good facial which, here in Cardiff is around the £70 mark. 

Frankly, the results given by the Aria after just a couple of uses are better – and I just used it once a day, whereas it can be used morning and night.

I quickly got used to cleansing with the Aria each morning and would now be loathe to part with it, such is the difference it has made to my skin. 

I also think that proper cleansing has made my moisturiser work better and the discipline of having a routine again, albeit one that finally fits in with the kids, has made me want to take better care of my complexion. 

Another knock on effect is that my improved skin has made me more enthusiastic about using make-up again – a light BB cream and blusher – because a heavy foundation is simply not needed.

If you have become lost in the mire of new cleansers and the latest high tech ingredient, my advice would be to try the sonic power of the Clarisonic Aria because you may find it's not the cleanser that makes the difference, it's the cleansing technique. 

And, for the price of a couple of salon facials (and far less than some of the top of the range moisturisers and cleansers), the Clarisonic Aria is an incredibly cost effective way to get great skin.

*I was given the opportunity to test the Clarisonic Aria on a return free of charge or purchase at a slightly discounted price basis from CurrentBody.com.  All the views expressed herein are my own.  And yes, I will definitely be purchasing it!

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Nearly 50 - You Can't See Me - Right?

In the acreage of unmitigated cobblers that passes for journalism in the "wimmin's section" of the tabloids, the latest neurosis du jour for us 'middle youthers' is that, come 51, a Harry Potter cloak of invisibility will shroud the menopausal, rendering them henceforth spectral and condemned to a ever decreasing lifespan of calcium yoghurt and Tena Lady.

Can anyone see Joan Collins?  Completely invisible at 81

We have been regaled by numerous sad tales of women who "walk into a room and are not noticed". Coming from a family who struggle very hard to actually recognise each other when out and about (my father has to be under a foot away before it dawns on him that I am one of his offspring), I honestly don't think this has anything whatsoever to do with age.

There are appear to be two schools of thought. Either you revel in your new invisibility to dress like a frazzled Miss Marple after too many gins or you go a bit 'cougar' and Bet Lynch yourself up in leopard print, download Tinder (not, as I thought something to do with matches) and get yourself a large 'young male totty net'. You can then do all the things you probably never did in your adolescence such as double date and worry about STIs.

Yes, you could make it a sexist issue, or an ageist issue. You could get all steamed up about the fact that men, in all likelihood are pre-programmed to seek out the youngest, most fertile member of the opposite sex to bed and subsequently ignore while they go out to play golf. But what is the truth?

Dare I say it - it's not all about you. Those people in the room may well be engrossed in conversation. Unless you're Joan Collins, the party is unlikely to grind to an awe-struck halt. On the other hand, your body language and personal presentation may be putting people off from approaching you. Shuffling Igor like with a manifest lack of confidence and wearing a sack dress that would give Carol Vorderman nightmares is not going to get you any attention.  I would also suggest avoiding all clothing which claims to be 'eau de nil', or any dress cut shorter than Ant and Dec.  And as for anoraks. Repeat after me:  "I am not an eskimo". Unless you are, of course, in which case, the broadband in your igloo is a whole heap more impressive than mine.

Can we please use a modicom of common sense here and recognise that i) we are bloody lucky to have lived so long and ii) it is up to us to make ourselves interesting - read, learn, develop, grow, get involved in the World. I forget who said it but there's truth in the saying that as we get older, even if we are no longer in the first flush of beauty, we can still be gorgeous.  Is it really all about attracting a partner? Was it ever?

Anyway, I think we can all cheer up because next week there will no doubt be an onslaught of verbiage about "sexy older women".  In which case, I hope the weather warms up because it's way too cold to take my thermals off. I'm off for a gin.

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Silent Sunday - 23/03/2014

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Spring comes to Gaviscon Towers

Somebody has apparently moved Spring. After the Biblical flooding parts of the UK suffered this year, at least we can show a modicom of British-style happiness now that the sun has appeared (even in Cardiff). 

This happiness is chiefly demonstrated by a celebratory visit to Homebase and hosing down the barbecue. But I have spent the last few weeks being confused as to when the first day of Spring is. Today is the Spring Equinox and I'm pretty sure it's today and not, as the Daily Mail (with its general reliance on research carried out by Brian, the Confused.Com robot), claims the 1st of March. Sadly, many people don't know their equinox from their Ultravox.  Less a case of understanding science and more a case of "goodnight Vienna".  I haven't seen Midge Ure on the TV for ages but the last time I did he was sporting a beard and grizzling slightly about his role in the Band Aid video.  Happy days.

Ieuan & I in full combat mode in the Millennium Centre, Cardiff

I have to say, though, my science knowledge is dreadfully rusty. Yes I know I could google it, but that takes the fun out of it, doesn't it? Plus you miss the opportunity to wind the kids up royally. This week, for example, Caitlin has asked me how condensation works (it hangs around on window panes and creates mold on netting) and whether ducks eat yoghurt (obviously not because you wouldn't get a webbed foot in a Muller Yoghurt pot, particularly the corner bit with the fruit puree). 

And, I have not been feeling all that well. As the clock ticks down to my 50th, I appear to be collecting a new raft of physical ailments which will fully justify, come 28th May, taking to my bed in a starched Victorian nightdress, wafting an embroidered hanky at all and sundry and demanding, alternatively, gruel, smelling salts and my tonic (Amaretto or Baileys, since you're asking). The family will be photographed looking suitably glum at 4 o'clock every Sunday huddled in our bijou sitting room, where the husband will sport a tweed suit, fob watch and monocle. Letters of sympathy will be written and the 1812 Overture will be played on the gramophone to cheer everyone up.  (How can you go wrong with cannons?).  

The Sybil (my walking companion and font of vast tomes of slightly odd information), has already told me to get a grip and that I'm lucky not to be in a far greater state of decay at my age.  Which is nice. I think I will have to recover, not just for the family but because if there is one substance which fills me with dread and makes me heave just thinking of it, it's Gaviscon. Actually, I'm amazed nobody has named their son that yet. Sounds a bit French.   

As they say though,  it's an ill wind that blows nobody any good.  Particularly mine.

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What do I want for my birthday? How the heck do I know!

Now I fully appreciate that there are some women who have a fully functioning list of things they'd like as gifts (possibly even in spreadsheet format). I have never managed this, not least because, even 10 years ago, Microsoft Excel was as comprehensible to me as the popularity of Geordie Shore.  Less even. In fact, ask me what I would like and I tend to feel a bit cross and put on the spot. No amount of reading Liz Jones' diary in the Daily Mail seems to help me become brand obsessed. 

After 20 years in marketing, you tend to view all aspects of branding with a healthy suspicion and garner weird looks in your local Disney store as you mutter under your breath (oh-ho, OF COURSE the Frozen DVD won't be released until the Easter Holidays, subtle Disney, very subtle).

Source: www.pandawhale.com

We ran our wedding list via John Lewis Online which was great. It basically worked by me pulling up a picture of something entirely random (e.g. a statue of a heron for the garden), placing the PC in front the husband whilst he was under the influence of Top Gear, and waiting for him to nod so he could return to watching Star In A Reasonably Priced Car (reasonably priced, my a**e - my first car was a beat up Morris Minor bought for £60 - now THAT's reasonably priced - although it was the 80's).

Now I am on my own as far as decision making goes and am completely in a tail spin as my 50th approaches at the end of May.  So far I have considered a day trip on the Orient Express, an emerald ring (my birthstone) and a HUGE party at Monte Carlo Casino where we all dress up as our favourite Bond character. 

Admittedly, I might have had a drink when I came up with the last one.  But I can't commit to anything. I'd love a Louis Vuitton Alma handbag but the cost of one would probably involve conversion to Catholicism and weekly confession to the end of my days. 

Oh yes. I'm talking guilt here. That's the thing when you have kids. I know they're only 6 and 4 and they might not want to go, but University tuition fees are not exactly small these days. Plus you tend to look at your own parents and their comparatively modest lifestyle and do a rapid reassessment of your values.

The truth is (and watching Sports Relief this week has made the point nicely) many of us have so much. And the more we have, the less pleasure it seems to give us.  We don't really want anything, much less NEED it. 

Actually I find the biggest pleasure in buying most things is the thrill of my card whizzing through the till point - the gloss seems to wear off when you get home. This is particularly true of 90% of children's toys. 

Once out of the packaging and devoid of point of sale / merchandising paraphenalia, you're frequently left with a battery hungry piece of plastic which cracks when dropped and ends up at the back of the toy cupboard in a few days.

No. I'm going to have to come up with something creative for my 50th............ and quick!

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Silent Sunday - 09/03/2014

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Silent Sunday - 02/03/2014

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And breathe.... Half Term's Over

Oh God. At the end of another half term week featuring the wonderful British weather, a husband on another continent and the mind dissolving cacophony of happy, clappy, marginally hypnotic lunacy that calls itself CBeebies with songs about various bits of the body and a disproportionate number of programmes geared to the deaf (are they taking the *** or what? I'm still not putting my hearing aid in), we've reached Saturday night and I'm afraid my event organising this week has been less than A* or whatever the highest echelon of achievement granted by the local Education Board currently is.

So NO.  I have not done any of the following: - visited a castle, farm, theme park, stately home, funfair or any establishment featuring balls in nets. I have not done anything 'crafty' with lolly sticks, egg shells, daffodils or moss. I have not created an obstacle course with zip wire in the garden. We have not dressed up in inflatable sumo suits and beaten each other senseless with inflatable batons.  

The thought of another week of enforced fun with mummy was too much for Ieuan

Each day the Facebook statuses of desperate parents during half term have radiated the atheletic effort of the Sochi Olympic teams without the snow. There have been pictures of visits to all of the above establishments with parents dressed to cope with sub zero temperatures brandishing Moshi Monster lunch boxes whilst trying to chisel frozen Fruit Shoots out of their offspring's hands. Cliffs have been scaled. Hang gliders assembled. Ponies have been yanked unceremoniously from warm stables to 'hack' a mile or so on busy roads whilst their riders model more high visibility gear than a local authority day out.  

Cakes have been baked and Welsh cakes have been griddled. I'm amazed we haven't seen pictures of junior brandishing a blow torch putting the finishing touches to a creme brulee.

All of this leaves me feeling rather useless, except that, to quote the Bard, when it comes to diarising parenting triumps on Facebook "methinks the lady doth protest too much". I do try to come up with exciting things to do but somehow plans never come to fruition. This week, (as is becoming a tradition), we were visited on Saturday by "Mr Puke and Mr Squit" and the ghastly pair of them have only just left.

Anyway, I must confess to a feeling of intense shame when, at swimming this week, the kids' lovely teacher, Sarah enquired whether the kids had been on holiday.  "Oh yes", said Ieuan proudly, "we went to Morrisons".

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Toothy Tales Of Sugar From The Vale

Well, thank the Lord!  After today's rather belated dental check-up I am happy to report that the kids have clean, healthy teeth.  

We are blessed with a very child friendly dental practice just around the corner so off we duly trotted after school.

The lady dentist allowed the kids to play with the chair's mechanics and even with the water gun.  I don't remember being allowed to enjoy myself to that extent when I was their age.  

Both dutifully lay in the chair for their examination whilst grim articles from the learned tome, The Daily Mail, on the dangers of sugar laden drinks and snacks played through my mind.

The Media has made much, lately, of the dangers of sugar which seems to be the new enemy. I bought a copy of Sarah Wilson's much vaunted "I Quit Sugar" at the weekend and although she makes it seem easy, in reality the prospect of a sugar free life doesn't seem appealing - even when you know that current research shows sugar to be implicated in liver disease, diabetes, cancer and dementia (to name a few).  

It is also said to be a major factor in premature ageing (and I though that was having kids!). I'm not sure I can see myself blending pumpkins (a key ingredient in many of her recipes) or replacing biscuits with nuts.

Recently two of the companies in Rosemary Conley's Diet Empire went into administration which, I suppose, with hindsight isn't too much of a surprise.  I have been a great advocate of Rosemary's Hip & Thigh diet, having lost 2 stone on it to shift the baby weight but recently the weight has been reappearing (well 7lbs but that's enough to depress me) and I suspect it's because some of the 'treats' and 'power snacks' you can choose are extremely high in sugar. 

Low Fat is now no longer being seen as the automatic diet of choice. I know that the 5:2 diet is popular but the idea of spending two days just eating 500 calories seems onerous and, when you have kids, rather impractical.

I have been tempted by the Weight Watchers Simple Start Diet but I wish you could find out more about it without having to sign up. The Weight Watchers products I have tried recently (wraps and soups) have been rather tasteless and their Jaffa rolls, although only 77 calories each, are really high in sugar.

I'm wondering if Rosemary wrongly attributed her weight loss to removal of high fat foods from her diet when it was actually reducing her sugar intake that did the trick?  Very difficult to say.

Anyway I am redoubling my efforts to reduce the level of sugar in the kids' diets (did you know Frosties are 37% sugar and don't even think about Nesquik) and that of mine and the hubby. 

Eating good food is such a joyful experience - preserving that and reducing the sugar is going to be a challenge. It'll be worth it if we keep the weight off and stay filling free though.

What do you think?  Are you reducing the sugar in your diet?

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We'll All Be Poorer If We Ban Teaching Shakespeare's Works In Schools

Watching Dame Helen Mirren's acceptance speech for her BAFTA Fellowship in 2014 was memorable not only for the class and elegance Mirren always exudes but for her recognition of the importance of teachers in our lives and also, tacitly, the importance of our great works of literature. Mirren ended by quoting Prospero in William Shakespeare's The Tempest.

Image credit:  Pexels - William Shakespeare

"We are such stuff as dreams are made on; and our little life is rounded with a sleep" (The Tempest, Act 4, Scene 1)

There has been much rumbling over the years about whether Shakespeare should still be taught to our children. Worse still, there have been cartoon and other dumbed down versions in a misguided (in my view) attempt to interest children in the Bard's works.

Before I had my children, I used to work as a part time English tutor and one year the 'O' level text was probably my favourite Shakespeare play - "Macbeth". My pupil was a 15 year old boy whose predicted grade was 'D'. 

Upon querying what teaching methods were being used, my eyes were swiftly opened to the rather ramshackle and disinterested way I suspect literature may be being taught.

"Have you actually read the play" I asked. "No". "Does your teacher read the play out loud in class?" "No". "Does your teacher get you to read out loud in class?" "No".

When I was learning Shakespeare in school, everyone had a copy of the text and we read the entire play, line by line through the class. 

It's only when you read Shakespeare's (or indeed any other poet's) works out loud that you get a sense of the true meaning of the language and the implications behind the rhythms. 

It gives the teacher a chance to explain idioms and how the meanings of words and even the interpretation of the whole play can change over the centuries. 

Call me old fashioned, but I'm not sure the subtle nuances and beauty of our language are ever all that apparent either by re-writing Shakespeare in text speak, Cockney rhyming slang or "gangsta" rap. You get me?

I also hate modern reworkings of the play where the director has had a "vision" and decided to portray Henry II as Robocop and dress everyone up like extras from The Matrix. 

Yes the themes and meanings of Shakespeare's works are universal - that's why they stand the test of time, but when you are learning them, you have an opportunity to better understand the history and social mores of that period. 

For example, I always remember being taken aback by my lecturer's assertion that the central theme of "Romeo & Juliet" was not, for an Elizabethan audience that of "star crossed lovers" but instead of parental disobedience.

I really hope that, when Caitlin and Ieuan start to study English literature, the works of our greatest authors are requisite reading. We need to preserve these works, not least to help maintain the ever denuded English language as it seems to sink beneath text speak, business jargon and lazy spelling. 

I cringe at the number of tweets from businesses where the writer doesn't know the difference between "there are" and "they are", "you're" and "your". This is basic stuff, surely?

So I applaud Dame Helen for reminding us that the great actors and actresses of our time still owe a debt to one of our greatest writers, William Shakespeare.

And by the way, after re-enacting "Macbeth" (which is mighty tricky when there are only 2 of you - we spent lots of time laughing), and trying to explain how the play's themes are still relevant today, my pupil got an A.

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Silent Sunday - 16/02/2014

The terrible twosome playing Hungry Hippos

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Micro-managing the Kids Playtime? I've Joined The Fun Police!

It appears that I have accidentally joined the Fun Police.

Every time the kids play lately I find myself like the harbinger of doom... on a bad day. "Don't touch that"; "Don't eat like that, you'll choke". "Don't put your fingers in that socket you'll blow yourself up" and on and on and on....

Ieuan rather enjoys the idea of being blown up and is going through a phase of identifying (correctly as it happens) every "Danger of Death" sign on every generator / electrical gadget / lamp post with the Vale of Glamorgan. 

Caitlin, enjoying an afternoon of micro-managed playtime with her mother 

Since I did a mime of what it's like to be electrocuted (no personal experience so I might have exaggerated a bit), Ieuan loves to state that smoke will come out of his ears and his "todge" will fall off. I'm not sure I've succeeded in putting him off since the mime was based on the original film "The Taking of the Pelham 125" where the baddy dies by touching the electrified train line in the New York underground.

Every game carries with it the possibility of injury, whether physical or psychological. Every bike ride requires a paramedic on standby. I see danger and villainy in each and every corner of the Vale.

Now I know that part of being a parent is really empowering your children to explore their physicality and learn about risk and boundaries through play and exploration but it's really difficult, isn't it, to stand back sometimes and let them go.

The latest bruise or scratch usually produces the sage pronouncement from the hubby - "you wait till we take the stabilisers off their bikes" as if this is akin to taking up sky diving or some other generally sponsored way of trying to meet your maker a bit earlier than planned.

Alright, I admit it - I'm am a little risk averse. And I'm going to have to get braver or I'm going to be duller than a wet weekend in, well anywhere in Britain at the moment. At least the kids are having swimming lessons now so walking by large puddles is less heart stopping (you can drown in just a few inches of water, you know).

Surfing (like the gear rather than the water), bungee jumping (prefer making one of those large bouncy balls out of rubber bands), skiing (once went down our local hill on a roasting tray during a snowy spell) and skydiving (you are joking, aren't you?) are not activities that grab me. Paintballing looks like it hurts and those "Go Ape" type adventure centres are my idea of hell. I do go swimming although when I take my glasses off it tends to be a while before I find the pool.

Ieuan, overwhelmed with glee at the prospect of an afternoon out with The Fun Police

I'm going to have to develop a 'fun persona'. Now who shall I base it on? Most of the Milkshake presenters are so jolly they set my teeth on edge. Justin is a 'lege' it's impossible to beat. 

Nope. I'll stick with my usual fun inspiration. 

Jo Brand.

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Emetophobia - Doesn't It Make You Sick?

A chance conversation on Twitter reminded me of a phobia I used to have - emetophobia - a fear of being sick or of seeing someone being sick. 

In my case, I used to be absolutely terrified of being within earshot of anyone I thought was about to be sick.  

I'm writing this because it strikes me that this phobia might be more common than I had expected.  

I was always slightly embarrassed by my aversion to all things pukey.

There were a couple of events which triggered it.  

The first was witnessing my grandmother, Phyllis, being ill when she had the early stages of bowel cancer. 

As a child, it was hard to understand how someone could be in so much pain. 

The noise was terrible. 

The other event that triggered it was my dear sister's constant car sickness.  

To this day I swear she can be sick at the drop of a hat.  

Car journeys were an absolute nightmare because before we had driven even two miles, Sarah would have her head hanging out of the window and would have gone green.  

Family holidays were nerve wracking, especially since my father developed an (in my view) irrational hatred of motorway driving and made it his mission to avoid them by taking arduous (and generally fruitless) shortcuts he'd devise whilst smoking his pipe at service stations using a succession of battered ordinance survey maps.  

Mum and us girls would return from the ladies to find him with an excited glint in his eye which meant usually i) getting lost and ii) my sister feeling sick.

This led to me having a phase of having to sit on the end of rows in churches, cinemas and theatres, terrified I might not be able to get out if someone was taken ill.  

I also found myself unable to eat in restaurants for the same reason. 

On a family holiday to the Loire Valley via the Roscoff Ferry (a vessel designed to make people sick as far as I could see), I took a travel pill so strong I practically tranquillised myself. 

Just as well given that it was a rough crossing. 

On buses and trains, I'd survey the passengers as they got on to assess who might fall prey to travel sickness.  

The fact that the journey into town must be no more than 7 miles made no difference.

The thing about having a phobia is that, at a logical level, you know you are being irrational but you are unable to do anything about it. 

My phobia used to give me panic attacks and, if you've never had one, the heart pounding breathlessness and the urge to run to the toilet are quite frightening.

Today of course, I know that I should have talked to a GP who would have suggested counselling, perhaps some Cognitive Behaviour Therapy to explore the triggers for this phobia and to help quash them when they arose.  

Actually, I consider myself really lucky because I found the cure was actually my earlier nightmare - having to deal with it.

Every parent knows that the first few days of a new school term are likely to introduce some new virus - either cold-like or, more usually, involving preparing the guest room for Messrs Puke and Squit. 

I very quickly found that when faced with two ill children, hiding at the bottom of the garden was not an option.  

I just had to roll up my sleeves and get the disinfectant out - at least once or twice per school year.

And worse still, generally I managed to get every bug the kids brought home. 

The husband, with his annoying tendency to think positively at all times has only ever succumbed once in the past six years using a mind over matter approach.

I have never been sick as much as I have since I had kids! 

I knew I was over the worst the other week whilst in the doctor's surgery with Ieuan. 

He managed to throw up in one of those horrid kidney shaped bowls whilst I continued to discuss his symptoms with the doctors.  

A few years ago, I'd have had to run out of the room.

If you do suffer from emetophobia, I just want to say that there are probably more of us sufferers out there than you might imagine. 

And please go to your GP or confide in someone to get some help dealing with it.  

It can colour your entire life if you don't take steps to deal with it - with socially, travelling or even at work.  

I'd never volunteer to be the First Aider in work in case I had to treat someone being sick.

And if the worst happens, you may just find you're cured, like me.

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Silent Sunday - 19/01/2014

Caitlin & Ieuan on the sofa

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I've Been A Bit Distracted By ...Oasis - 17/01/2014

This is a cute little blue skater dress with a pretty scalloped lace trim on the hem. It has a v neckline and long sleeves (always a bonus if you're a bit scared that if you lift your arms up, someone will shout "Bingo").

Lace Trim Knitted Skater Dress - Oasis - £45

Standard delivery is £3.99 and the dress is available from www.oasis-stores.com.

I've been searching for exciting Spring knitwear but everything I've seen so far could have been knitted by my Aunt Maud and seems to be in bland candy colours. If you've seen anything that inspires you, let me know.

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He's Not A Salad Dodger; He's A Salad Dodger's Son

Hmm. Well having just had my 4 yr old son hand me back each lettuce leaf off his plate and having been informed that he hates salad, it's still status quo here in the battle to get veg and salad into him. 

Short of sitting on him, my armoury of psychological tricks is rapidly running dry, save complete disinterest and feigning death (the latter would probably be frowned upon by Social Services and warrant front page coverage in the Daily Mail - "Mad woman's fake death inspires vegetable binge in toddler" or some such).

The marketing of salad to children has always been tricky. I became vaguely interested at the Tale of Peter Rabbit when his lettuce eating made him sleepy and am convinced that the Magic Roundabout's rabbit, Dylan, has clearly been smoking some sort of vegetable (I hesitate to use the word weed here obviously).

Other than that, I remember the biscuits in Enid Blyton's "The Magic Faraway Tree", the fabulous tea Mr Tumnus the fawn puts together for Lucy in "The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe" and the picnic in "Wind in The Willows". J. K. Rowling could have done an extra national service to parents across the land if she'd introduced vegetables into the plot of Harry Potter, although you couldn't really see Hagrid as a vegan could you?

Caitlin enjoys school dinners and proudly announces each day that she has eaten some vegetables so I am hoping it's an age and / or control thing with Ieuan. Surprisingly, Ieuan often comes home from school with a "clean plate award" sticker, but he's always suspiciously hazy about what was on the plate he cleaned.

Even more suspiciously, Ieuan recently had tea with one of his best school buddies and reportedly ate peas, carrots and, (cue my incredulous face), broccoli. I'm not sure what's going on but I can't get that quote of Gandhi's out of my head "be the change you hope to see in the world" because, if it's true that kids learn by copying I'm not exactly grade a material as a nutrition coach. Or possibly as tough as Ieuan's friend's mum.

If I stop and think about it, I'M the true salad dodger.

I've got into the awful habit of eating the same thing most days to keep my weight stable. I now know to the gram what I can eat and what I have to avoid. I eat the veg which hubby cooks with our evening meal but he is always wading through the 'veg cupboard' removing blackened carrots and yellowed broccolli. (Have you noticed that men are generally food nazis when they don't have to do the shopping themselves?).

I must confess that my staple diet consists of hot cross buns, marshmallows, jaffa cakes, diet coke, Babybel cheeses, curry and red wine. It's a good job Gillian McKeith has vanished off the radar or she'd be chasing me with a large pointy stick and a poo pot.

My favourite story about Gillian McKeith comes from Nigella Lawson (looking depressingly good in Nigellissima despite chowing down on a vat of lard and cream judging by her recipes). she has named the cupboard in her house where she keeps the cakes, biscuits, crisps and sweets as "The Gillian McKeith".

Anyway, I'm digressing as usual. But I think I'm the one who's going to have to have the diet overhaul before Ieuan can be inspired to try salad. And I'm going to have to eat the stuff. Not smoke it.

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Silent Sunday - 12/01/2014

Caitlin ready for her ballet lesson

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Online Cashback Schemes - I'm Confused!

I'm beginning to realise that making the most of cash back schemes and loyalty cards requires quite a bit of planning and strategy when it comes to your weekly shop.

I had a look at Quidco's site today and my head was in a whirl by the end of it - and I consider myself quite a savvy shopper. Each time you shop via Quidco, the retailer you purchase from pays them a referral fee which Quidco then pass back to you in the form of cash back. They say it is possible to amass hundreds, even thousands of pounds of cash back over a year. A good incentive to use them indeed!



Not only do they have the Quidco app which allows you to get great deals on your mobile but they also have Click Snap - which allows you to take up deals on grocery shopping, either direct on line or at the store, where you have to upload your receipt afterwards to take advantage of the saving.

To benefit from Quidco you obviously have to adjust your shopping to buy what's on offer - so is that really an economy? Then there's potential savings at Costco Wholesalers where we took out a membership back in May. I know I should be comparing the cost per item against the supermarket item cost to see if I'm really making a saving. At the moment, I'm assuming I am on the basis that we're buying in bulk.

Factor in voucher sites like Voucher Cloud, other cash back sites like Topcashback and Tesco Clubcard loyalty points and I'm completely muddled.

I'm guessing that, if I want to save on our grocery shopping this year, I am going to have to sit down and create a practical, sustainable budget.

One of my hobbies is entering competitions and I have had quite a bit of luck. I only enter for prizes that we really need as a family. You won't find me entering competitions for prams now the children don't need one and then selling it on Ebay. I am aware some compers do this but it feels dishonest to me and unfair on someone who might really need that particular prize.

The things I win, such as vouchers, food and clothes, are our family treats and I see it as my way of contributing to the family finances whilst I am a stay at home mum. There is, of course, no guarantee of a win but it adds a fun element to our finances.

If you fancy giving comping a go, a good place to start is www.theprizefinder.com which is completely free and provides a comprehensive list of all kinds of competition which you can sort through according to the date they close, the date they were added to the site or the type of prize you are looking for.

But, in terms of maximising our monthly income, there's nothing else for it. I'm going to have to create that budget. Here's one from Mr Money Saving Expert himself - Martin Lewis that I might try.

Has anyone else undertaken a complete overhaul of family finances and how did you do it? I'd love to know.

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Renew With A Twist of FTN - World's First Wholefood Nutraceutical Stem Cell Recovery Drink

In my usual New Year quest to be fit and hone the bod into a Goddess like state, I like to try everything new and exciting in the Health market but I was particularly intrigued to discover a world first, currently being launched in the UK - FTN.

As our bodies age, they begin to slow down and lose the natural ability to repair and renew cell damage. 

FTN is the world's first wholefood nutraceutical stem cell recovery drink which you take everyday.

The makers say it has a potent blend of five key ingredients which have been proven to work with the body's own natural repair and renewal systems - allowing the body to slow down the ageing process, speed up recovery times from training and also protect against degenerative diseases. 

It is completely natural and free of any chemical or stimulants and its unique properties have already been documented in five published independent research papers - all of which are downloadable via the FTN website. 

It already has a number of celebrity fans such as Sir Elton John and his partner and model/actress Agnes Deyn.

So what are the five key ingredients?

Green Tea extract which helps to support the health of the digestive and respiratory systems and enhances the proliferation of cells within the skin

Wild blueberry extract which further promotes maintenance of healthy brain, cardiovascular, vision, joint and urinary tract function

Vitamin D which supports adult stem cell renewal and helps these cells become immune cells for naturally fighting infection

Organic blue-green micro-algae which contains protein, essential fatty acids, chlorophyll, beta-carotene and a vast array of micro-nutrients that supercharge the body’s ability to maintain superior overall well-being

Amino Acids which can be thought of as pieces of a complex protein puzzle which build and repair all kinds of tissue in the body.

All delivered in organic fruit juice which gives a refreshingly cleansing taste.

FTN is available in Citrus and Super Berry Flavour and your daily dose is a 60ml shot which comes in a neat little, 'twist and drink' bottle.

My unwilling guinea pig (The Husband) tried the Citrus and I tried the Super Berry and the drink is pleasant tasting with a slightly smoothy-like texture.  

It's certainly a very easy way to take a powerhouse of nutrients without spending hours wrestling with a juicer or a blender. 

The bottles would be very handy to carry around in your handbag (or gym bag) and for busy mums, are a good energy booster when you start to flag around 4 pm. 

FTN is currently being sold online at www.ftnbelieve.com, www.amazon.co.uk and stocked with specialist retailers Win Naturally. 

It will be available at Holland & Barrett and Boots in the New Year. You can currently try FTN for two weeks at a cost of £19.99 with free shipping. 

You can also find more about FTN on Twitter (@ftnbelieve) and on Facebook (www.facebook.com/ftnbelieve).

*PR samples were sent for the purposes of this review.

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Let's Celebrate - All Year Round!

I always going into a right old funk this time of year. Of the Eeyore rather than the Jamiroquai variety. Is there anything more miserable than the twinkling lights of everyone else’s Christmas decorations once the last streamer has unfurled on New Year’s Eve?




The kind of wild & crazy party we hold at Hobbis Towers

Taking all your Christmas decorations down isn’t exactly fun, is it? We’re not supposed to take them down until Twelfth Night (6th January) but I have seen many Facebook statuses along the “couldn’t stand it any more so I’ve taken them all down” variety. The thought of having nothing to look forward to until the daffodils appear and Wales goes slightly mad over St. David’s Day and the Six Nations Rugby tournament hits its stride really depresses me.

So I thought I’d see if I could compile a list of events to commemorate before then. Obviously there’s Burns Night on 25th January. You don’t have to be Scottish to celebrate that do you? Haggis, Neeps and Tatties, Shortbread and Whisky – easy. Except I don’t know anyone who can play the bagpipes.

Or what about St. Dwynwen’s Day, also the 25th January. Dwynwen is the Welsh version of St. Valentine – patron saint of lovers and also of sick animals. Dwynwen fell in love with someone entirely unsuitable and after drinking a potion given to her by an angel was forced to renounce men and retreated to Llanddwyn Island off the west of coast of Anglesey to die an unmarried hermit in AD 460. These days she might have been helped to get over it by internet dating and ITV's “Take Me Out”. Can’t imagine Paddy shouting “Let the Saints see The Sinners”, can you?

Or on February 3rd, you can celebrate the Feast Day of Blaise – Patron Saint of Throat Ailments, Veterinarians and Wild Animals. Blaise was a bishop who convinced a wolf to return a woman’s stolen pig whilst on the way to his trial for being caught praying. Sentenced to death by starvation, the pig’s owner sneaked in food to his cell and this so incensed the Governor that he had him beheaded in AD 316.

I hope at this point your mind is thronging with canapé suggestions and nattily named cocktails. Because whilst you’re getting all Martha Stewart, there’s also the feast day of Apollonia, Patron Saint of Dentists on 9th February. Apollonia was set upon by a mob who took out all her teeth and offered to spare her life if she would renounce her faith. I think you can guess the end of the story but Apollonia is often depicted wearing a necklace of her own teeth.

You know, I’m beginning to realise why we don’t actually celebrate too many saints’ days……. These are more days for quiet reflection and thought – something that is also missing from many of our lives.

Perhaps we should just invent some of our own celebrations – “First Sighting Of A Snowdrop”? I would suggest first sighting of a Cadbury’s Cream Egg but in Cadbury World Christmas segues neatly into Easter into what can only be described as four straight months of chocolate.

Actually, do we really need an excuse to celebrate? Good friends, good food, good wine – a little candlelight – what could be nicer to get through the dark days before Spring has sprung. Christmas makes us make the effort; many of us are less proactive through the rest of the year. What better New Year’s resolution could there be than to celebrate life and take every opportunity to enjoy yourself?

If you can play the bagpipes though and you live near Cardiff, though, just give me a shout!

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Silent Sunday - 05/01/2014

Sunday morning chaos

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I Can't Sleep - Insomnia Padme Hum

Occasionally lately insomnia has reared its ugly head and I've been having trouble sleeping. Nothing is worrying me so I'm guessing it has to be one of the usual culprits - too much caffeine, too many late nights, possibly a little too much Rioja on the odd night but nothing I can pinpoint.

I'm wondering if it might be.... dun, dun, dun, the herald of the menopause or at the very least a hormonal imbalance requiring some exotic herb harvested from the foothills of the Andes and sold at a 700% profit margin in my local chemist. Incidentally, what has happened to chemists? They all seem to be turning into pharmacies.

The Dark Recesses of My Tortured Noctural Mind? - No, I think it might be Cardiff Bay

Now in France, a pharmacy is a place of excitement if you have a penchant for skincare preparations which promise the skin of a nubile fourteen year old girl in two weeks. In Britain, well, not so much - usually shelves full of strangely branded makeup and toiletries you remember from the 70's like Silvikrin and Cuticura plus Chupa Chups lollies. What possible medical purpose Chupa Chups lollies serve, apart from encouraging sales of dental products I'm not sure. The only reason I can think that a chemist might sell them is because at 20p, they are a cheap way of keeping your kids quiet whilst you wait for your prescription.

Anyway, where was I? Oh,yes, Sleepless in Dinas (never going to be a film title, that one). I could try Nytol but tablet taking is not my preferred first port of call. Then there's milk with nutmeg grated on the top which is supposed to be very soporific. It's quite challenging these days to actually find a whole nutmeg. Our local Tesco doesn't do exotic. One Christmas I asked a staff member for Star Anise and I swear they thought I meant the one that shone over the stable at Bethlehem judging by the look I got.

I'm guessing I'll have to use the one thing that used to send me into a stupor as an English undergrad - any novel by Charles Dickens. Heresy to say it but I used to find that until I got past at least the 6th chapter, I'd be snoozing faster than The Husband during an Emmerdale Omnibus.

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Review: Spatone Liquid Iron Food Supplement - Apple & Vitamin C

Did you know that 91% of women between the ages of 16 and 64 do not get sufficient iron in their diet? Quite a staggering statistic.

Iron is needed in the body to transport oxygen and to help maintain a healthy immune system.

 

Spatone liquid iron supplement - delicious apple taste with vitamin C 

It is particularly important for pregnant women.

When I was pregnant with Ieuan in 2009, just a few weeks away from a planned caesarian, the midwife found my iron level was low.

She made it very clear that there would be no delivery until my iron levels were back up - for both my and Ieuan's safety.

She recommended Spatone (from Nelsons Natural World) - made from iron rich water sourced from the Snowdonia mountains as it was easy to take as a liquid supplement and gentle on the stomach.



Spatone comes in easy to open individual dose sachets.

The recommended daily dose is one sachet for adults and children but pregnant women are advised to take two sachets.

It certainly did the trick very quickly and I had none of the stomach aches, constipation or headaches that sometimes a side effect of the more traditional iron tablets.

When I was pregnant, I tried the original Spatone but there is now a new variety - Spatone Apple combined with Vitamin C, which aids the absorption of iron from non meat sources.

So you're getting the recommended daily dose of iron and Vitamin C together.

The Husband and I both tried it (one sachet = one daily dose).

You can see from the picture the size of the dose but it really does have quite a pleasant apple-y taste and you would not know you were consuming iron.

It would be easy to add a dose to some apple juice, should you need to give an iron supplement to your children (only suitable over 2 years old). T

The Husband, never one to be taken in by marketing in any shape or form whatsoever (why he married an ex-marketing professional on that basis I'm not quite sure) and my trusty benchmark for testing said "Hmm. That was quite nice".

And so it was.

Nelsons are running a competition on their website to win a box of Spatone Apple. Just enter your details on their website.

You can buy Spatone Apple from Boots, Waitrose, Tesco, Asda, Lloyds Pharmacy and independent pharmacies and health food stores priced around £10 for 28 sachets.

Disclosure: I received one box of Spatone Apple for the purposes of this review.

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It's Budget Time - Pass Me My Small Suitcase

At this time of year everyone feels the pinch, don't they? I'm watching Martin Lewis on ITV and thinking that I should implement his system of multiple bank accounts in which to channel amounts for holidays, Christmas and big purchases.

I've tried to do a budget before. In the old days I used to limit myself to about £40 a week in cash. These were the days when if a full supermarket shop approached £100 it was a BIG shop. Now it's difficult to leave our corner shop without having spent £15 on bread, milk, cake and a bit of fruit.

Make no mistake. I am well aware I am lucky to have funds to spend on items I could, and arguably should, be making myself. Hands up. No excuses.

But when did everything become so expensive? Is it because of the rocketing cost of fuel, affecting transportation costs - which then of course get passed on to us, the consumer? Is it because we eat so much out of season, again involving fruit travelling half way across the world to keep us happy? It's no wonder Gordon Ramsay's mantra is "eat fresh, eat local".

It's great that we see loads of artisan bakers and other types of food producer springing up all over the UK. Organic produce is now widely available (though don't think, by the way that this means it is entirely pesticide free!). Marco Pierre White exhorts us to ask about the provenance of our meat as though it is a regular occurrence to debate the origin of our beef rather than see how many fish fingers we have lurking at the bottom of the freezer.

We are obsessed with TV cooks and cookery shows. I have a bookshelf groaning with cookery books which promise exotic meals, budget meals, healthy meals, vegetarian meals - all knocked up in 20 minutes with the minimum of effort but, and here's where the plan goes a bit wrong, most of these mean you have to go to the supermarket and make quite a hefty investment in spices, vinegars and oils. Think about most diet plans - a basket of low fat food is, in my experience at least, definitely more expensive than the fuller fat and (debatably) less healthy version.

Our hunger for buying is insatiable. Shopping malls are truly the new churches, except that they tend to lead us further into the path of temptation. I sometimes think that the best way to save money is to lock yourself in the house!

So, I will be examining the family finances with a fine tooth-comb and consulting some of my fellow bloggers for their advice. Cash back sites, saving money on energy bills, becoming a Queen of coupons - all some of my goals for Spring.

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