Bach Flower Remedies Gift Set Review

(ad) During this month of January I have been talking about all the little pick me ups that you can use to help yourself feel better and become more mindful. 

So now I have some Bach Flower Remedied to tell you all about. 

You may have heard or even tried Rescue Remedy? Well these are created by that same well known brand. They are made for emotional wellness and taking them is meant to help you deal with your emotions better. 

"Bach Original Flower Remedies follow Dr Bach’s system of 38 Bach Flower Essences, which was developed in the 1920s and 30s, for emotional wellbeing and care for everyday life, which he believed play a vital role in your general wellbeing. He identified 38 negative emotions and a corresponding flower or plant essence for each one. Each essence has a positive potential that balances your emotions allowing you to reach your true potential."

Whats included? 

They have made a special gift set that has 3 different flower essences included. These are Larch, White Chestnut and Mimulus and they all come in small 10ml bottles.

Each essence come from its own group and helps with a different feeling and comes with with a different positive potential. 

Larch is from the Find Joy and Hope group, it is perfect for people who lack confidence in their abilities, and it will give a positive outcome of confidence. 

White Chestnut is from the Live the Day group, its for people who struggle to switch off and have repetitive thoughts and its meant to give a positive outcome of tranquility. 

Mimulus is from the Face your Fears group and is for people who are shy or are feeling worried about something specific. It will give a positive outcome of courage. 

How to take them? 

Each bottle comes with a little pipette so then you can use drops of the flower remedy. It is super easy to use and you simply squeeze the top and the pipette fills with liquid. 

There are 3 ways that you can use your flower remedy, one is by adding 2 drops of your chosen essence into a drink. You can choose which ever drink you like.

You could use all drops making it 6 drops in total and with this its recommended you make up your own sample. Get a mixing bottle, add all 6 drops and swish together. Then take 4 drops of this, 4 times a day.

Or you can use it for immediate use and simply take the essences directly from the bottle. Just drip 2 drops onto your tongue and then repeat when you feel necessary. 

What do I think? 

Firstly, my chosen method is to take it directly. I prefer to just get it on my tongue and in my system instead of faffing about with drinks. But this may not be many's favourite way as you have to be ok with the very strong taste. I would say it has a very alcoholic taste, simular to vodca. Which a couple of droplets worth I can cope with. 

One thing I did find with this way of taking it, was that it helped me with my 'funny tastes' I can get in my mouth when I am anxious. It kills that and gives me a new taste to focus on. 

I am not 100% sure if the droplets do exactly as they say on the bottle, but in a way they also do. For example, taking Mimulus, I feel like I have more courage because this has taken the edge away making me calmer and so then more likely to fill an ability to do something courageous. 

They are definetly something I would keep using and I would recommend trying, I love that they are herbal as I am not a big fan of chemical medicine. Anything that can help me with my wellbeing that isn't going to do my body any harm sits very well with me. Plus they have been being used for more than 80 years and I always think that the older more natural ways were the best. 

This gift set is £14.99 and if you head to www.bachremedies.co.uk then you can see more information and places to buy it. 

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Monthly Book Roundup - What We Have Been Reading in January

I have to smack myself on the hand because I haven't actually done a book post for a good couple of months now. Last year I found I was very busy and struggling to keep up to date with blogging, but so far this year I have found my new lease of life and i'm back on it. 

So i'm back with what we have been reading this month in January. 

Lily still loves her story time, and we still read a few books a night. Though she does also bring one home from the school library and insists we read that lots, which doesn't help her books at home get read. 

I haven't really had a theme for January but these are 3 new books that I have got her and want to tell you about. 

1. Zog and the Flying Doctors by Julia Donaldson 

As soon as I spotted a new Zog book in the shops, I just knew we had to have it. We are a big fan of the first Zog book so to find a sequel to it is great. In this story, Zog has his job flying the doctors around so they can attend to patients. One day the princess doctor decides they should fly in and visit royal relatives in the castle. Bad move as they don't let her leave. Good job though as the king gets ill and so princess pearl sends out Zog and the other doctor to go get ingredients so she can make him better. The story is really good with a great storyline and also lots of characters. It also has a great story of kindness to it. I picked my copy up from WH Smith but you can get it from many book stores.

2. The Cave by Rob Hodgson

This is such a funny little story about a tiny creature living in a cave. The big bad wolf wants it to come out so it can eat it, and tries all sorts to make it come out. The funny twist is that actually when the small creature emerges from the cave, its actually not so small and its a big bear bigger than the wolf! the wolf runs into the cave and roles reverse where the bear is trying to get the wolf to come out the cage. The story isn't mega long which is great for those nights you want a shorter story and Lily did really enjoy the comedy behind it. We was gifted this from Lily's school but you can find it online and in shops. 

3. Elmer by David McKee

A classic! Elmer. But Lily has only just started to enjoy the Elmer stories. She was bringing them home from her school library each week so I figured I would get her one for home. If you don't know the storyline of Elmer, which I will admit, I didn't. Its all about a patchwork colourful elephant. In this origional story, Elmer feels very different to all the other elephants, and decides to colour himself in grey. It is at this point he gets up to his usual tricks and plays jokes on the other elephants. But then when the other elephants see his colours, they want to be colourful too. So one day a year, Elmer goes grey and all the other elephants go colourful. The Elmer stories are all so good and have such a good storyline to them. I picked this up from WH Smith but it can be bought in most book stores. 

Which of the books do you like the sound of and why? 

Mindful January - The Happiness Box

This is something I have been using and building for months now. I got some advice from someone who works as a life coach. She recommended that a great thing to do if your feeling low, or struggling to relax, or just need your mind taking away from things, is to create a special box that you get out when ever you feel the need for it. 

The idea behind it is that it gets filled with all your favourite things that can either help perk your mood, or distract your mind, or aid a little relaxation time. It is a box that is all about giving YOURSELF a little bit of focus. When you feel that bad mood coming, or a depressed night coming, you grab your box and have a good route through it to choose how you want to cheer yourself up.

The box is 100% tailored to you as an individual, but I thought I would give you some ideas of things that can be put in and also tell you about my happyness box. 

1. Candles, or Incense 
These are perfect for your box if you don't already light candles or incense. For me candles are all around my house, so wouldn't be in my box but would most definetly be lit while I was using my happiness box. But incense sticks are a great thing to pop in there. They are the perfect thing to light as an extra special treat of getting to smell a relaxing scent and to use something a little bit different to candles. 

2. Photographs
When feeling low, photographs can be something that really help us feel a little better. Maybe you want to put your family in there, your loved one, or pictures of your children. Maybe you have pictures of a good family vacation or one you took alone and really enjoyed. They are great to look through to lift your mood. 

3. Colouring Books or Drawing
I have both of these in my happiness box. I find colouring and drawing so therapeutic and I can really loose myself while doing it. I feel relaxed and it has taken my mind away from any worries. For me, the more complex the colouring, the better. I am more focused on thinking "what colour shall I use" than thinking about my problems. I now have 4 colouring books and a HUGE range of different shades of pencils. They actually don't all fit into my happyness box but I keep them on top of it so then I can choose which I want to use.
The great thing about drawings, is that also after you have finished the drawing, you can keep in it your happiness box. Its lovely to look at something your proud of. Though of corse drawing isn't for everyone.

4. Letters, Notes, Things from loved ones. 
These things could be anything from letters from family, cards from loved ones, or maybe drawings that your children have done. What ever works for you when it comes to making you smile. They are just nice things to look at and also remind you that you are loved. I keep a lovely drawing of Lily and me that she did in my box.
You can also write notes to yourself, they may be positive reminders, affirmations, or lists of why your life is good. Sometimes when you are down it is hard to remember those things you do actually love about yourself or maybe even others. So its great to get these written down when your in a positive mood so then you can read back on them when your not.

5. Foodie Treats (ad - gifted)
Food, is generally something that makes us all happy. It may be your favourite chocolate? Maybe you love biscuits? Think about the thing that always makes you happy when you eat them. For me, I usually put some chocolate in, sweets, and some of my other favourite treats like stroopwaffles, macaroons and amaretti biscuits. I also love to put popcorn into my box. Sometimes it may be popcorn that you heat in the microwave, or I may treat myself to different flavours of popcorn like the Popcorn Shed have.
It is always good to make sure you box is constantly stocked though, nothing worse than thinking your favourite chocolate is in your box and then getting to the box and finding out that its not. 

6. Health and Beauty
So I am not a big Pamper girl myself, but this it totally something that fits perfectly into a happiness box if a good pamper makes you happy. The only things I may keep in my box is nail varnish and foot detox masks. I find the painting nails a good focus activity, and I do actually enjoy my feet being pampered. You may have more ideas on beauty things you can put into the box, but things like face masks, makeup, and any other beauty rituals are great ideas. 

7. Puzzles and Activities
There are so many different things you can put into your box, and puzzles and activities are something that can really help the mind stay focused and switched off from daily struggles. I like quite a lot of puzzle books, crosswords are one, but I mostly love a good wordsearch. I am focused on one thing and one thing only, finding that word. Maybe if puzzle books arn't your thing then you might want to put a jigsaw in there, again it is something that really focuses the mind. What ever you enjoy and what ever makes you happy, is the perfect activity for your box. Do you remember Where's Wally? My boyfriend spotted loads of them in a charity shop and bought them me for my box! I find it so much fun even as an adult trying to find the characters hidden in the crowds. 

8. Drink Treats
Just like your foodie treats, you may also want to think about what drinks you enjoy. Maybe your favourite tea? There are some lovely relaxing ones out there to try, like chamomile. Or maybe you love a hot chocolate, sometimes I have put little sachets of these into my happiness box. Mint hot chocolate is my ultimate favourite. As for Alcohol, I don't fully recommend it myself, alcohol can be a depressant. But I do know that for some, that odd glass of wine really helps them feel relaxed and treated. So if in moderation, the odd glass can't hurt. You can buy really cute miniatures that would fit into a box nicely and also keep that drinking to a minimum. 

I am sure there are loads more ideas of things that could be put into the box, maybe a favourite film that always makes you laugh, maybe your into sewing or knitting, what ever it is that you love, it has a place in your Happiness Box. 

What would you put into your happiness box? 

How to Identify Your Child's Learning Style

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How to Identify Your Child's Learning Style

Parents can help to bring out the best in their child’s academic abilities by simply identifying the way that they learn.

You may be surprised to learn that there are three common learning styles. By understanding the characteristics of each style, parents are able to identify the best learning activities and tools to aid their child’s development.

To help you identify your child’s individual learning style and discover their full potential, Taunton School have provided the following information and advice…

What are the three main learning styles?

Each learning style relates to the individual senses children use when they are learning. For example, seeing, feeling and hearing. Schools aim to incorporate these learning styles into lessons using a number of practical hands-on tasks, as well as interactive whiteboards and roleplay activities.

Read through the three main learning styles below and see if you can identify which one matches your child’s method of learning…

Visual learner

Visual learners like to be able to see what they are learning. Pictures, diagrams and instructional videos are all incredibly beneficial to this type of learner. Visual learners are also particularly good at remembering things that they have seen.

When teaching visual learners it is a good idea to have pens and paper available, as they like to write things down and draw whilst listening. It is also beneficial to visit museums and art galleries with your child to enhance their learning experience.

Kinaesthetic Learner

Kinaesthetic learners process information best through hands-on activities. They want to touch and feel whilst they are learning and they often like to learn through movement.

You may notice that this type of leaner will move around whilst listening and speaking, and often use hand movements when explaining something.

Kinaesthetic learners enjoy subjects such as Science, Art and PE, where there is a lot of physical activity to help keep them engaged.

Auditory Learner

This type of learner likes to absorb information through listening. Auditory learners benefit most by having things verbally explained. They are also more likely to remember key details by saying things out loud. You may notice that an auditory learner will easily remember verbal instructions, however they will require more time to process information during a reading exercise.

What kind of learning style does your child have? 

Books to Read to Help your Mind

There are so many books out there on the market to buy that are all about helping your mind. Daily life can be hard and sometimes we don't know how to handle the pressures of every day. Books can be a really great way to firstly relax and also get some well grounded advice on how to help you feel better. 

So I have 3 books here that I have chosen to tell you about. 

1. (ad Gifted) - Cut the Crap and Feel Amazing 

This books is perfect for if you are feeling unmotivated about life, but you have dreams, and don't know how to get there. Cut the Crap and Feel amazing is by Ailsa Frank who is a self help author who also specialises in being a motivation coach and a leading hypnotherapist. She has a compassionate yet no- nonsense approach which you can find through out her book. This book is full of techniques which will help you cut out negative habits in your life and also make some improvements where needed. She believes that making small changes to your mindset will enable you to make bigger changes in your life.

The book has 17 different chapters with each one being a new subject of things we deal with in life. For example Relationships, Dept, Addictions, and decisions. she gives tips and steps on how to try and make situations feel better and literally cut that crap out of your life. 

The book is £10.99 and can be bought from her website. 

2. Recharge, A Year of Self Care to Focus on You

This book is classed as the ultimate self care bible for women who want to find their balance in life. Julie Montagu is a wellness guru who knows a thing or two about health and happyness. In this book she shares guidance and tips designed to make self care your focus, which will then support you on a journey to wellness and vitality. 

The book is set out in 12 months. Each month deals with a new topic of helping an area of un balance. For example, Stress, Anxiety and Learning to Love yourself. Each month has tips and ideas of ways you can help your self in this way. It even has space in the book to answer questions about yourself. The book is aimed at helping you with self care to be able to feel recharged and feel a better you.

This book is £12.99 and can be bought from Amazon.

3. TIME - Your journey to a slower, richer, more fulfilling way of life  

This book is for the person who never feels they have enough time to get done what they want to in life. It is all about looking at the time we have and making new choices about the way we spend it. It gives a new fresh perspective on time and how we can manage it and shows you how you can take control of your own time.

 The book is full of inspiration, suggestions and tips that will help you get the most out of your time. Filled with quotes that really get your brain thinking, and also explaining concepts of time you may not have thought about. The idea to the book is to get you to look at time compleatly different so then suddenly you feel like you have so much of it. 

This book is £6.99 and can be bought from Amazon. 

Which of these books do you like the sound of and why? 

How we feel about Anxiety and Tips how to help it!

Anxiety seems to be something is either happening more, or is now more talked about. I myself can suffer from anxiety and so I wanted to put together a post that was all about it, with at the same time providing you with some tips to over come it. 

But, everyone experiences it in different ways, and so I thought I would get the help of finding out other experiences that bloggers have with Anxiety. 

I wanted to know about about what causes it, what feelings they got, and then how they helped them self. 

I hope that if you can relate to some of these then hopefully some of their tips can also help. 

Lianne from lifewithlianne.co.uk

FEELINGS - My anxiety flares up when my kids are ill , I feel totally out of control as I can't make it go away and then I have Panic Attacks. 
HOW I HELP MYSELF - I find breathing exercises help and writing down my intrusive thoughts.

Sarah from www.boorooandtiggertoo.com 

FEELINGS - Anxiety is the friend that you wish you'd never made, the one that will pop up out of the blue and consume all your time. Plaguing you with self-doubt and making you question every little thing you say or do.
HOW I HELP MYSELF - I find that concentrating on the decisions that need to be made such as 'what's for tea' etc. rather than everything that might be on my to-do list for that given day. Sleep is my anxiety reset, which I find that if I'm a position to sleep for an hour or so then I'm better to do so that battle my way through it.

Becca from beccafarrelly.co.uk/

FEELINGS -  When anxiety hits, for me it's an overall panic about the amount of 'stuff' I have to do in the day, it's the panic about not being able to spend more time on my blog, and the panic that I'm just not good enough. 
HOW I HELP MYSELF - I find it helps to break down my day into chunks of 3 jobs/activities. If I can just get 3 small things done (1 chunk) then I'm able to go onto the next chunk and the next. 

At the end of each day, I look at my ticked-off list and it's really rewarding. Sometimes it's the only thing that gets me through!

Kate from kateonthinice.com/

FEELINGS - Peri-menopause has brought new anxiety with Whirring and troublesome thoughts.

HOW I HELP MYSELF - I have worked out that telling myself "Stop thinking!" out loud has stopped this in the main - so simple but works for me.

Sarah from www.arthurwears.com

FEELINGS -  Anxiety is raking through every possible negative outcome of every action before the moment comes, and usually doing anything you can to avoid being in that situation. It’s avoiding conversations, small talk or even meetings with people for fear of what they might think of you because you aren’t at your best, you don’t have anything fun to talk about and you really aren’t that interesting. It’s pulling apart every conversation, wishing you’d said something else, wishing it hadn’t happened and wondering how long it will be before the person you spoke to brushes you off. 

HOW I HELP MYSELF - I find that getting out in the fresh air and walking helps. Listening to upbeat music and dancing around the kitchen...and, ironically, actually getting out and meeting up with a friend for a coffee or a chat. It puts those thoughts back in the box and helps you to remember that you are worthy of someone else’s time.

Kate from refinedprose.com 

FEELINGS - Anxiety is being with my best friends, and still feeling the doubt creep in that they are happy in my company. It's tripping over my words because I'm analysing and over thinking every tiny detail instead of relaxing and enjoying the moment. It's craving connection, and then sabotaging it. It's leaving friends, and letting out a sigh of relief that you can stop the pretence of being normal.

HOW I HELP MYSELF - Gratitude keeps my anxiety in check, and nature brings me relief when I get overwhelmed.

Christy from www.welshmum.co.uk/

FEELINGS - Anxiety for me something that stops me living in the moment, making me focus on worst case scenarios and become overwhelmed by worry and negative emotions. It stops me sleeping, which makes everything else harder, and at it's worst, it makes me sick and unable to function properly at all.

HOW I HELP MYSELF - Medication has helped me a lot, as has cognitive behaviour therapy and support groups online. Talking to other people with anxiety helps and makes me realise I'm not alone. Being open and honest with my husband, family and friends has made a difference. I no longer feel like I need to hide it or put on a mask - I can ask for help. When I feel overwhelmed it helps to break things down into tiny achievable steps. Writing todo lists and checking off what I've achieved is also helpful as is general self-care and trying to focus on myself and relax.

MYSELF

FEELINGS - My Anxiety I know is totally powered by my brain and its ability to over think. Im funny in the way that things that people would normally panic over, I don't, but then little things will set me off. I know putting a lot of pressure on myself has a lot to play with it and when I get overwhelmed and stress it can set if off. The worst part of my anxiety is the physical symptoms that comes with it. Sickness mostly and sometimes a horrid acidic feeling at the back of my throat. 

HOW I HELP MYSELF - Firstly, I ask for help, I have a great support from my partner. I also work on my mindfulness, trying to think positive about my future and focus more on being in the now than worrying. Distracting my mind works really well, things like colouring relaxes me and stops my mind from over thinking at night. But the main one is being in control, telling myself that I am in control and also noticing when things and people around me are being helpful, or just dragging me down and then choosing wether to take that on or not. 

Do you suffer from Anxiety? How do you help yourself? 

Understanding Your Child's Curriculum

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Understanding Your Child's Curriculum

Research shows that parental involvement in a child’s education has a positive effect on their performance.  The more supported a child feels at home, the more he or she will accomplish at school.

To help you provide the best possible support for your child at home, it is important to understand the school curriculum and learn more about what they are studying in class. To make this as easy as possible, Parsons Green Prep School has put together this handy guide to the school curriculum for parents…

The National Curriculum is split into five different Key Stages based on the age of your child. 

These Key Stages are:

Key Stage 1: Aged 5-7, Years 1-2

Key Stage 2: Aged 7-11, Years 3-6

Key Stage 3: Aged 11-14, Years 7-9

Key Stage 4: Aged 14-16, Years 10-11, GCSEs

Key Stage 5: Aged 16-19, Years 12-13, A Levels

This curriculum is an important framework that helps to ensure all children are reaching their full potential and that a consistent level of education is provided across the board. Within each key stage your child will study towards exams. These exams will assess their progression and allow the teachers to check whether or not they are meeting national targets. The classwork and activities your child takes part in throughout the term will follow the National Curriculum. 

The curriculum also places importance on learning essential skills that will benefit children throughout their life and future careers. Teachers will help to develop communication skills using activities such as reading, writing, talking and listening, as well as mathematics and technology.

Your child’s annual report will tell you about their learning and progress in a number of areas. The teacher will give your child a level to indicate how well they are doing in each area, as well as provide an overall assessment of your child’s progress.  As your child moves through school, it is hoped that their ability in each area will improve and they will progress to a higher level.

At the annual parents’ meeting, you will have the opportunity to talk to the teacher about your child’s progress and how you can help to support their learning at home. 

Which Key Stage is your child in?