Welcome to my Lifestyle Parenting Blog, where I explore topics related to chronic illnesses such as ME/CFS, chronic pain, and fibromyalgia while embracing a passion for yoga, books, and blogging.

2017 - The Worst Year of my Life
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2017 - The Worst Year of my Life

2017 was not only the hardest year of my life, it was the worst.  

At the start of the year, we lost my brother-in-laws dad, he had passed suddenly. My husband and his brother-in-law are very close, they are best friends.  We are a family, including the outer family that are very close. It was devastating. 

2017 was already looking to be a rubbish year, and then...

My dad was diagnosed with terminal cancer, given just months to live.

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My Son Turned 18
Family Life Tanya H Family Life Tanya H

My Son Turned 18

This month see the celebration of my sons 18th Birthday.

Eighteeeeeeeeenn......

how did that happen?!

It seems like yesterday I was bringing my first baby home from the hospital, bursting full of an array of new emotions, mostly a mix of fear and pure love. I think I spent many

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Meccano Meccaspider

Woooo, this is probably one of the coolest toys we have received. It's big, it's bold, it's a futuristic creepy crawly! And, Jacob absolutely loves it.

What is Meccaspider?

It's Meccano, thus, you have the fun and fulfilment of not only building it, but you also get to play with it...it’s an interactive robot and incredibly cool.

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Pokemon
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Pokemon

Pokemon was much loved by my oldest son when he was younger, and now, his little brother is a big fan - I'm still kicking myself for throwing out all of Liam's old Pokemon cards, they would have been perfect for Jacob.

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Cat Machine Maker™ Junior Operator
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Cat Machine Maker™ Junior Operator

Build-It-Yourself construction sets come equipped with all the pieces needed to build your favourite Cat machine! Each model includes a chunky screwdriver and reusable carry case for storage.

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Freshpet Dog Joy Turkey Bacon Treats
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Freshpet Dog Joy Turkey Bacon Treats

It was earlier this year when a new fridge appeared in the pet aisle at my local Tesco's, stocking a new brand to the UK from the US, a pet food called Freshpet. I'd never heard of Freshpet before, so was excited to see what it was all about.

Freshpet offers human-grade meats and vegetables, food that’s cooked, not processed and wholesome. They offer meat meals in rolls that can be sliced into pieces, they also offer treats. Freshpet is ideal for pet parents who want to feed their pets premium, real foods but are too busy or are not confident in making it at home.

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Ravensburger Bugaloop Game
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Ravensburger Bugaloop Game

Ravensburger Buggaloop is a fun board game.

The set up is very easy. You place the cardboard base piece in place of the box and attach the two tunnel tubes, and you are set to go. 

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HEXBUG Battle Ground Tarantula
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HEXBUG Battle Ground Tarantula

HEXBUG Battle Ground Tarantula is a remote control bot that you can do battles with other HEXBUG Battle Ground bots.

How cool do these sound?! 

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The Lost Words by Robert Macfarlane and Jackie Morris
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The Lost Words by Robert Macfarlane and Jackie Morris

Robert Macfarlane and Jackie Morris joined forces to produce a simply beautiful book. A book about words; a celebration of nature words and the natural world they inspire.

It's a large hardback book, and within it, you find magic on the pages.

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Oregon Scientific SmartGlobe Explorer
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Oregon Scientific SmartGlobe Explorer

I absolutely love the Oregon Scientific SmartGlobe Explorer! It is truly fantastic and the kids love it. 

So what is it?

It's an interactive, educational, smart globe with a cool wireless updatable touch pen and 3D augmented reality. There is so much to do, to discover, to learn, to interact with, the fun is endless, and the whole time you are on an educational journey with this amazing globe.

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 Rebecca Adlington teams up with Baby Annabell Learns to Swim
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Rebecca Adlington teams up with Baby Annabell Learns to Swim

Summer loves to go to the swimming pool and take a dip, although she is not very confident in the water as she can anxious about the experience.  If your little one is nervous about getting in the pool, then the below top tips from Rebecca Adlington are a good starting point. 

Olympic swimmer Rebecca Adlington teams up with Baby Annabell Learns to Swim to reveal her tips on giving youngsters confidence in the water:

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K'NEX Web Weaver
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K'NEX Web Weaver

We've been a fan of K'NEX for many years - the first time I bought it was for my Oldest son, 13 years ago, and since then, it has been favourite of ours; Jacob's fav construction toy.

Jacob loves K'NEX, he spends hours playing and creating all sorts of builds. I love how it brings out his creative and innovative side, this is done by him either using his own imagination or by following the instructions.  We've bought, owned and reviewed a quite a few K'NEX sets over the years, and were excited to receive the WEb Weaver to review.

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Monster Island DVD
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Monster Island DVD

This is a fun story, it's Spooktacular fun.

I've always been a cartoon fan and really enjoy watching animated movies with the kids.  Monster Island didn't disappoint, both myself and the kids really enjoyed it. A fun story and the characters are great.

It's okay to be different!

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Skagen Gitte Rose Gold Steel Ladies Mesh Watch
Tanya H Tanya H

Skagen Gitte Rose Gold Steel Ladies Mesh Watch

I've not owned a watch for, well, years. Have I missed wearing one? Yes.  So when I was invited to choose a watch to review from Plus Watches I was super excited.  

Plus Watches have some lovely watches available, from Daniel Wellington, Marc Jacobs, Emporio Armani, Michael Kors and more. It was really hard to choose just one. (In fact, I've put another one on my Santa's wish list).

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Ravensburger Despicable Me 3, 3D Puzzle
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Ravensburger Despicable Me 3, 3D Puzzle

Puzzles are so much fun. Great for getting the kids off their screens, and perfect for spending fun time together. And we are loving the new Despicable 3D puzzle range from Ravensburger.

The Despicable Me 3, 3D puzzle range, where you get to build unique desk accessories. We reviewed:

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Kazoops Fun With Clouds. 
Tanya H Tanya H

Kazoops Fun With Clouds. 

Last night we watched the latest Kazoops Episode (number 63) Fun With Clouds. 

The grey clouds ruining their plans, and wish they’d go away, but Monty and Jimmy Jones set out to show them that the sky wouldn’t be nearly as interesting without clouds.

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Rosemary and Garlic Shoulder of Lamb #HealthyRedMeat
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Rosemary and Garlic Shoulder of Lamb #HealthyRedMeat

As a parent, I want to make sure that my children are eating a balanced diet, because, eating well is so very important; they need to grow, develop and explore and eating well will help them flourish. No single food contains all the essential nutrients needed, and that’s why we need to make sure our kids are consuming foods from each of the main food groups.

It's easier said than done if you have a fussy eater and providing a balanced diet for your little one can be quite an uphill challenge. But, as long as they eat well most of the time, they will be getting plenty of nutrients and they will also slowly learn healthy eating habits.

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