How to cope with sleep depreviation

Hey readers,

When I was pregnant with my first child I was often told about the struggle I will face of lack of sleep when you become a parent. 

But boy they weren't sh*tting me, I didn't take any notice at the time because I was more bothered about finding a place to puke.

 The first couple of months is a killer but you can get through it as so many parents have before. Below I share with some of the things that have helped me when I have experienced sleep deprivation.

It is ok to ask for help, let your partner take care of some duties well you have a rest.

Sleep when the baby sleeps, everything else can wait and get sorted out at a later stage.

Make sure that you are eating correctly as food provides energy that you so desperately will need.

Be aware that your environment has changed, you can't do everything and you need to be kind to yourself.

Learn the art of delegation - priorities that are important and need to be done urgently and learn to burn things off. At the end of the day, you can always come back to them at the end of the day.

Sometimes a walk outside can do wonders with getting some fresh air. It is amazing how just a walk around the block can be really beneficial.

 It helped me a lot in the early days when I felt like I was going insane looking at the four walls.

I know it is hard to believe but remember there is light at the end of the tunnel and it does get better. 

Soon, the baby will grow in the amount of time it sleeps through and before you know it you will experience a night where they sleep a solid seven hours straight and it is bloody amazing. I still remember that first time.

Is there anything that has helped you with sleep deprivation? I would love to hear your thoughts.

Cheers for reading X

10 best life tips

Hey readers,

As we get older hopefully we learn and grow insight to improve as a person. 

I myself have learnt some things along the way on my journey through life and I thought I would share some of my best life tips.

1. This lesson IS difficult but if you learn to not be angry and put blame on people you will lead a more fruitful life. Life is a b*tch and there are some God awful people out there. 

I have experienced a fair few. But, once I learn to let go of that anger and just accept it, life is much more pleasant. I don't forget the hurt by any stretch of the imagination. 

I just let go, untie it from my emotions. The more you hold on to the negative feels they will only fester and bring you down. The more that you don't allow it to influence you means you can enjoy life better.

2. I know people go on about enjoying every second and you should be enjoying it. However, let's face it life is not like that.

 Don't put these expectations on, just focus on not taking life too seriously, have a laugh and make happy memories.

3. I know it is cheesy with the whole idea of the power of positivity. I suffer depression but looking at one small thing a day no matter what it is can really help you. 

Even for example it is just getting out of bed or leaving the house, that is one step closer to helping yourself move forward.

4. Enjoy the outdoors and surround yourself with nature - it can really help physically and mentally. Plus it is free, so even if you have no money you can still go out and look at the trees.

5. If you can help people, karma and all that. Plus it is nice to just do something for someone.

6. Don't compare yourself to other people, remember that we are all on our own journey.

 You don't know what people are going through, you only see a section of that person especially if it is on social networks like Instagram. 

Never forget that comparison is the thieve of joy so instead of worrying about missing out, just focus on your self and what you are doing.

7. Write down goals - small or big get them down physically on the paper and see where you can make improvements. Small steps lead to better destinations. 

It can help if you are in a negative frame of mind to work on something that you can focus but also check in each month to see how far you have progressed. 

This can help make it feel more real and concrete giving you that well-earned boast that you deserve.

8. Make sure you get some sleep because it really does help give a clear mind to think.

9. If in doubt or you don't want to do something, do micro-tasks that lead to the bigger goal. This can help you feel less overwhelmed and in the long run, be more productive.

10. Make sure you are on top of your emails. Go through them each day and delete the unnecessary ones.

What life lessons have you learnt along the way of your journey?

Cheers for reading X

My Sunday photo 29/03/2020

Easter Cornflake cakes Recipe.

Hey readers,

Looking to do something with a young child over the Easter holidays then you need to check out this simple recipe.

Ingredients.

* 50g of butter.

* 100g of milk or dark chocolate.

* 100g cornflakes.

* 3tbsp of golden syrup.

* Mini eggs (for decoration).

*Cupcake cases (my Easter themed ones come from Poundland and they have decorative pictures on a stick that can stick in the cake).

Method.

1. Measure out the ingredients.

2. Melt the butter and chocolate, one at a time in the microwave.

3. In a bowl place the corn flakes, add the golden syrup, chocolate and butter. Mix all together so the cornflakes get all covered in the chocolate mix.

4. Pour the mix into cupcake holders (o got my Easter themed ones from Poundland). Stick the decorative sticks in if you have some.

5. Place a couple of mini eggs in the middle.

6. Place the cakes on a tray and put them in the fridge for a good couple of hours or until set.

7. Voila there you easter cakes.

Enjoy.

Cheers for reading X

11 reasons to like Twitter.

Hey readers,

If you haven't heard of the social media platform Twitter then where have you been?

Twitter has got a lot of bad press recently what with the likes of Trump using it as a medium to communicate to everyone. 

Of course, we can not dismiss the trolls but let's face it there is bad in everything. So, let's have a look at some positives about the popular social media site.

1. It is a great way to connect with like-minded people.

2. I love it when you are watching a live programme on the telly (I know right shocking in this day and age) and jump on Twitter and there is that community of other people watching the same programme. It is a great way to watch something and discuss the programme with others.

3. Hashtags are a great tool to grow your audience, get more people to notice your tweets.

4. You can find out information via news reports or blog posts with specific content via reshared tweets.

5. It is a great way to get your frustrations out with a ranty tweet.

6. You can do all sorts of forms of communication, whether that be a tweet, gif, poll, video.

7. You can find some cracking memes and a good way to kill some time.

8. You can find up to date news coverage.

9. You can follow famous people that you enjoy reading about and their thoughts. 

10. It can be fun with hashtag games and play on words.

11. You don't have to be serious and can just write random tweets if you so wish to.

So let's all praise Twitter and get on tweeting.

Cheers for reading X

my Sunday photo 22/03/2020

Holiday packing tips.

Hey readers,

One thing when it comes to holidaying with a family is remembering that preparation is key. 

It is important to be prepared for all emergencies and planning is essential. 

So here are some of my tips to help with family packing that may be of benefit to you and your family to make a smooth experience.

1. Washbag.

With having a family on holiday, there will be a lot of dirty washing. However, you don't want to mix dirty clothing with clean clothing so a great tip to deal with this situation is to simply pack a spare bag to keep your dirty clothes in.

2. Spare clothes.

We all know young children especially get dirty easily it is a fact of childhood. So it is always a good idea to pack more clothes then necessary. As you do not want to stress about running out of clean clothes in the middle of the week because that is a nightmare believe me and you. Also, don't forget extra pants and socks as well.

3. Packing cube.

Although they are pricey at first they can be a good investment and keep your luggage organised when your away on holiday. The packing cubes come in sets of different square type fabric containers. 

They are great because they save space, you can divide different items into sections and not only clothing.

 Some items are just for travelling so you can keep them stored away in the cubes for a later date. This will save time next time around and you don't have to worry about losing items as they will be safe in the storage compartments. 

Such items that can be left for a later date are batteries, toiletries etc. Also with using cubes for clothing, they make an impromptu pillow if need be. 

4. Roll clothes.

A fab packing hack is to roll your clothes into your suitcases as these reduces space needed. You can pack more stuff into your suitcase which is always a win.

5. Medication. 

I find that it is easy to keep medication close by in your everyday bag or someone where you know it will be such as the inside pocket of the suitcase. 

6. Packing. 

Always best to keep heavy items at the bottom of your suitcase so they don't squish clothes and make them wrinkly because let's face it none has the time for ironing on holiday right?!

7. Outfit. 

To save stress with the travelling and getting used to the new routine one best tip I suggest is packing your first-day outfit at the top of your suitcase. This, therefore, means it is there ready there and waiting for the first day of your holiday. 

8. Washing powder.

A good product to buy for travelling is washing powder for the sink. 

This is brilliant in an emergency where something happens for whatever reason and you want a quick solution to get something clean. 

Well, you can place the item of clothing in the sink and hand wash your clothing. The washing powder stuff comes in a small bottle so handy for travelling with as it doesn't take too much space up.

What are your go-to packing tips that make your life easy? Love to hear your thoughts in the comment section below.

Cheers for reading X