Virtual Vibes - 3 Cool Ways We’re Connecting Online

This is a collaborative post.

While we would never wish to downplay the seriousness of the current global health crisis, the flipside of isolation frustrations is that more time spent indoors can lead us to connect with each other in novel ways and even rethink some of our big questions on life and work. Ironically, despite physical distancing, online tools and resources are helping us to rediscover passions, connect with friends, family, and colleagues more regularly, share our thoughts and feelings, and reset our priorities. If you’re already enjoying these virtual vibes, consider the following cool ways we’re connecting online – you might want to integrate them into your regime!

1. Pub Quiz

If you’re missing the conviviality of your local boozer, perhaps you’re already having a regular pub quiz on Zoom or another similar tool and sharing a virtual tipple with mates while you flex your intellectual muscles with tricky questions on everything from football to literature and general knowledge? However, if you want to raise some cash while quizzing and would like to play alongside celebs, why not take part in The Big Comedy Quiz at The Covid Arms? Familiar faces taking part are Jenny Ryan from The Chase, and comedians like Nish Kumar and Russell Howard.

2. Poetry vibes

Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s ‘The Rime of the Ancient Mariner’ was penned way back in 1798, but its themes of isolation, struggle, and existential angst chime particularly well with the current environment. If you’re a fan of the epic piece, you might want to engage with the Big Read version, which commenced in April and features celebrity voices sharing narration duties as the poem progresses. You’ll hear the dulcet tones of everyone from actor Willem Dafoe to Beth Gibbons of the band Portishead, not to mention rock icon Iggy Pop and 60s legend Marianne Faithfull – pretty cool indeed!

3. Online Degrees

Spending more reflective time and home might have brought you to the conclusion that your current career has gone rather stale and just doesn’t feel satisfying anymore. Life’s too short to tolerate a job that makes you unhappy, so now could be the ideal time to start an online course that lets you switch career – taking an online MBA with ARU Distance Learning lets you study in your own time and work towards a qualification that helps you climb the ranks or set up shop on your own. Plus, although studying online is currently the norm, when lockdown eases, it provides fantastic flexibility in regular times when you need to study around work and family commitments.

So there you have it – a triad of terrific ways we’re connecting online – choose one that floats your boat and get started soon! Do share your own thoughts on socialising online in the comments section.

Living Arrows #21 - Sunny Days & Spring Fairs

It's been a while since I last published a Living Arrows post, so to make up for it I decided to choose a couple of shots taken at the spring fair a few weeks ago. I had intended to post them sooner, better late than never! The kids always enjoy going to the fair and it's become a yearly tradition of ours. Their Great Grandad visited in the morning we planned to go and kindly gave them both £10 in £2 coins for rides, they were ever so excited! Here are a couple of my favourite photos of the day.

Making More Time For Myself & My Favourite Makeup Trends

AD - This is a PR collaboration.

I have always dabbled in makeup and used to really enjoy taking my time to do my hair and makeup, however, that went down the pan the minute I became a Mother. I could still take the time to do it if I planned my time better or woke up earlier in the morning, but time and sleep are a precious commodity these days. Lately, I tend to only use makeup every other day, sometimes less, as I just don't have the time to apply it, not a full face anyway. I can go as far as a tinted moisturiser and a bit of mascara but then one of the kids need my attention and I get pulled away.

This Summer I want to start making more time for me and one simple way to do that is to make sure I have time to pamper myself. I'd like to book myself into the hair salon, get my nails done and I really want to start enjoying makeup again. With that in mind, I thought I'd put together a post all about my favourite beauty products and trends that I'll be indulging in this Summer.

Glossed lips For the last couple of years, it's all been about the matte look lip, with certain celebrities embracing the trend by releasing their own matte effect liquid lipstick collections. However, this year we are set to see the return of glossy lips. A staple trend in the mid-2000s, a trusty lip gloss was essential for every make-up lover. Available in a variety of shades, you can introduce this versatile trend back into your make-up regime to guarantee a fresh, youthful finish.

Smudged eyeliner & long lashes

If you’ve ever struggled to master the precision of a perfect cat-eye flick, you’ll be glad to hear that smudged eyeliner is set to be a popular look this upcoming season. A great accompaniment to the laid back summer months, this ‘unfinished’ eye look means fewer hours in front of the mirror and more time enjoying the sunshine. Whether you use a smokey kohl liner or a gorgeous, pigmented eye palette, this look can be achieved with ease for ultimate style. I'm going to try and use some different colours too as I tend to always grab a black kohl liner. You can't rock eyeliner to the fullest extent without luscious, thick, natural lashes - Borboleta Lash Serum can give you all that, and more. It's my go-to when my lashes need some TLC.

Dewy skin

As with matte lips, matte skin finishes are also so out of fashion. Embrace the gorgeous, natural dewy skin trend this year and show off a healthy, youthful glow that can be created with ease. I recommend opting for a cream or liquid-based products, such as cream blushers, bronzers, and highlighters rather than powders. You should also choose satin finish foundations that offer lightweight coverage and a beautiful glow. If you prefer to have a higher coverage foundation, choose a buildable product or use a concealer before creating your dewy look.

What are your favourite beauty trends for the Summer?

My Sunday Photo - 19/52

What is Insomnia & How Do I Treat it?

 AD - This is a PR collaboration.

There has been much in the news this past week about Michael Jackson dying after his personal doctor was treating him with a whole cocktail of drugs for insomnia. Could being unable to fall asleep make you so desperate that you keep asking for more and more drugs so that when you actually fall asleep, you never wake up again?

Is Insomnia Common?

Insomnia is very common. And it is more common in women than in men especially as they grow older. Both my mother and my mother-in-law suffered from it from middle age and now I do too. Sometimes I sleep right through the night and sometimes I am wide awake at 3 am. But there is just no point in lying awake worrying about not being able to sleep. I get up, make myself a cup of tea, and read, watch TV or write blogs on my laptop! I find that by about 5 am I am getting tired again so I put on the radio softly and it lulls me back to sleep for another couple of hours. And funnily enough, when my mother was alive she used to have a similar routine (but without the blog writing of course!).

How to Treat Insomnia

If we don’t have sufficient, good quality sleep at night, then this affects our day times too. We can feel tired, lethargic, and irritable, lack energy, or have difficulty concentrating. Our memories, reaction times and general alertness can all be impaired as well as our productivity at work or our patience with those around us. Our personal relationships can be affected and perhaps it is not even safe for us to drive. In a warm room with a full stomach or in the presence of white noise, we can sometimes find it difficult to remain awake during the day. If we don’t resolve the problem of insomnia, our immune system can be affected, lowering our resistance to disease and infections.

What Causes Insomnia?

In most cases, if you can get to the root of what is causing the insomnia, the battle is won. But there are certain tips to help you sleep too!

• Try not to nap during the day even if you get the chance.

• Establish a regular time each day for going to bed and for getting up the next morning and try to stick to those times.

• Avoid obvious stimulants before bedtimes such as caffeine, nicotine, and alcohol.

• No heavy meals close to bedtime but just a light snack.

• Avoid fluids just before bedtime to reduce the need to urinate.

• Exercise regularly but not within 3 hours of bedtime.

• Make sure you are relaxed when it is time to go to sleep – enjoy a warm bath.

• Ensure you have a comfortable bed, in a comfortable room with the minimum of light, noise, and extremes of temperature. The room should be well ventilated.

• Turn that clock away from you so that you are not tempted to keep checking the time.

• If you cannot fall asleep within a reasonable time of going to bed, then read quietly until you feel tired.

• If you are distracted or kept awake by a sleeping partner, arrange for some nights in separate rooms while you are getting into the sleep habit.

Most insomnia is fairly short-lived: transient insomnia which usually only lasts a few nights and often happens when you have to travel or you move to somewhere new or short-term insomnia which can carry on for 2-3 weeks and is often caused by worry or stress. The restless leg syndrome can also cause insomnia. It is chronic insomnia that can be a cause for concern and this where you suffer from disturbed sleep for at least 3 nights per week for a month or more. This is the form of insomnia where you really need to find out what the underlying causes and problems are. Go and see your doctor or even consult a sleep specialist. You might well need outside help.

Learning Resources Peg Friends Stacking Farm - Review & Giveaway

AD - This is a PR collaboration/review product.

We are huge fans of Learning Resources, something that comes across loud and clear in all of our past reviews with the brand and with every review, our love for them seems to grow. Their toys and games are engaging, exciting, and educational, products which I think all parents should get behind. We were recently sent two products to review, the Super Sorting Pie and the Peg Friends Stacking Farm which I'm writing about today.

Pegboard toys have been a hit with children for generations, in fact, I remember playing with one when I was a little girl. This one though is better than any that I've ever seen. It's a farm themed twist to the classic pegboard that we all know and love. It's designed with little ones in mind, to help build fine motor skills, early matching skills, and the pegs are just the right size for little hands to pull and push them apart.

Included in the set is a foam base with 12 different holes and 24 pegs featuring well-known farm animals. There's a sheep, duck, goose, chick, cat, dog, horse, rabbit, goat, cow, pig and donkey. These pegs are double-sided, showing both sides of each animal, and once set up completely they create 12 different animals each made with two pegs. The foam base measures at 25cm x 25cm, is brightly coloured and depicts a fun farmyard scene.

Ava has taken to the Peg Friends Stacking Farm set like a duck to water, no pun intended! She really enjoys matching up the different animals, saying the name of each animal and likes to make the different animal sounds. It's a great learning tool in so many different ways and it also inspires different role play and imagination scenarios too.

Although Noah is five he really enjoys this toy too which is great to know because it means that Ava will enjoy it for years to come. He sits and plays nicely alongside Ava, helping her out with her animal names, and of course, encourages her to build the biggest peg tower ever! It's lovely to watch them play together so well.

The Learning Resources Peg Friends Stacking Farm is suitable for children from two years of age and retails at just £19.50. Visit the Learning Resources website for more information and enter below for your chance to win one! Good luck and don't forget to check out my other competitions too.

Learning Resources Peg Friends Stacking Farm

Terms & Conditions.         
1. There will be 1 winner who will win the prize mentioned above.
2. Prize sent via the PR. 
3. Competition ends 15/06/19.
4. Incomplete entries with be disqualified.
5. UK entries only.