From your monthly household bills to your weekly shop, every click makes all the difference.
Exciting news! You can help me raise valuable funds for DKMS whilst you shop! It’s true – whenever you buy anything online, whether it be your weekly shop to your annual holiday, you could be raising free funds for DKMS_UK with easyfundraising.
There are over 6,000 shops and websites on board ready to make a donation – including eBay, Argos, John Lewis, ASOS, booking.com and M&S – and it won’t cost you a penny to help me raise extra funds for DKMS_UK, the blood cancer charity. .
Every time you shop online, go to easyfundraising first find the site you want and start shopping.
After you’ve checked out, the retailer will make a donation to DKMS and #Mission50forDKMS at no extra cost to you whatsoever!
There are no catches or hidden charges and I alongside, DKMS will be really grateful for your donations.
You can visit the easyfundraising site before you shop, but better still, please add the donations reminder to your browser so that you don’t need to remember. It makes the world of difference.
The best part is that you don’t need to check if the donations are available on any given website as the donations reminder automatically alerts you.
Every donation helps, no matter how big or small and goes directly to DKMS.
If you can, please share my pledge and this page far and wide, and let’s see what we can do to help DKMS_UK find the lifesavers that are needed to save lives.
As a proud Ambassador for DKMS_UK and former Oncology nurse, I feel very privileged to be celebrating my 50th birthday in February 2022 – that got me thinking! Mission 50 for DKMS was born!
What if I could do something to raise awareness for DKMS around the number 50??
What if I made it my Mission in the year 2022 to raise as much awareness and as many funds as possible?
I started playing around with ideas…
Please consider this:
❣️Every 20 minutes someone in the UK is diagnosed with a blood cancer such as leukaemia, lymphoma or melanoma.
❣️Someone somewhere in the world is diagnosed with blood cancer every 27 seconds.
❣️Only 30% of people diagnosed find a donor match within their family, that’s why swab kits to find donors are so important.
I’m calling on my friends, family and you to join me in anyway you can. Whether it be a training run, an event or donating a raffle prize, or donating to my fundraising page… Just think if everyone reading this page donated, we’d get there in no time! Imagine!!
Finalised calendar will be shared with you over the coming weeks and months. One thing for sure it that it won’t be easy! I’m not at all fit and lockdown poundage is real!!!
Anything to help would be a huge support. You know I am a huge fan of paying it forward and random acts of kindness and now, more than ever, I think we all need a little something to brighten our day and week.
Like anything in life, feeling prepared, with the right mindset is half the battle
Exam season is looming, especially for those taking A level and GCSE mock exams. A stressful time for students and parents alike, especially during a pandemic when school life over the last 20 months has been so disjointed.. It really hasn’t been easy for parents and teachers as we try to help them navigate this time in their lives,
Many students feel the pressure really is on to hit those grades. In this blog, I’m sharing a guide to help you make a plan, ensuring the students in your home feel prepared and balanced as much as they can be.
Enjoy the big outdoors, have a break from the book and get some fresh air, even if it’s only for 20 minutes.
Did you know that your diet and lifestyle can affect exam performance?
I believe the right nutrition and exercise plan can energise your mind and body to get you through revision time and sharpen your memory, improve concentration and boost confidence. However, the wrong dietary and lifestyle choices can potentially put you at a disadvantage.
Time to relax with a good novel is always a good idea.
Diet will have a huge effect on your body and mind, choose the wrong meals and you can become sluggish and tired, but if you give your brain the right fuel, you will be able to think quicker, have a better memory and have improved concentration.
The key to boosting your energy and keeping your concentration levels up are nutritious foods, water and oxygen.
Here are my top tips for success during exam season:
Stay Away From Caffeine
Drinking energy drinks like Red Bull or high amounts of tea and coffee will give you a short burst of energy but will burn out and give you a sugar crash.
Try not to rely on the caffeine fix to get you through the regions and exams. Switch to a warming hot chocolate instead!
Keep Your Body Hydrated
Herbal drinks and water hydrate your brain and encourages it to function at an optimum level, delivering nutrients to the brain and eliminating toxins.
Being hydrating is essential for concentration, clarity of thinking and mental alertness.
Avoid Snacking On Junk Food and Ordering Takeaways
A lot of students can fall prey to this mistake because they are so busy revising they run out of time to buy and prepare food in advance, unlersas of course they are living at home!
Many students tend to study in their rooms, however if you are able to separate the study zone and the relaxing and sleep zone, the quality of the nights sleep is vastly improved.
Exercise
Often when we feel stressed or overwhelmed, we feel we just don’t have the time to exercise. Having worked with clients, who felt the same for almost a decade, they all felt a huge benefit for taking some time out of their busy lives to get some training in. What’s more, they felt more productive too with improved memory! Win!
Exercise can help boost energy levels, clear the mind and relieve stress. Just 20 minutes of fresh air and exercise a day will boost your mood and concentration too.
A walk around the block can really make the world of difference – to all of us; parents and students alike. A walk and talk is always a good idea!
Breathe..
I can totally appreciate that this time of our Teens lives can feel like it’s THE most stressful time for them. The last 20 months of extremely disturbed schooling due to the pandeamic, has been stressful for everyone..
Go easy…
That’s both parents and students!
Exam stress can be shown in many different emotions and behaviours.
Take time to talk; share how you are feeling… talking, tears and sharing emotions, nerves, worry, make all the difference. Please don’t keep the worry to yourself students!
Good luck and try not to stress too much. It will be OK…
I really hope this guide helps you and your students alike to navigate the exam season.
Christmas is a special time of year for many. With 10 weeks to go, let me help you create a special, yet stressfree Christmas.
Every year we are determined not to become overwhelmed with the stress and worry. In this weeks blog; I’m sharing some of the things I do to try and keep Christmas stressfree and to a minimum when it come to preparation. Using these thoughts and ideas will mean that come Christmas, you’ll feel calm and ready to enjoy the celebrations.
What can you do now to limit the overwhelm that undoubtedly comes with the festivities?
Let’s be honest, most guest rooms can double up as a dumping ground especially when you are not expecting guests! Since an emabrrassing episode several years ago, we had a dinner party one year and one couple couldn’t get a taxi home.
“Stay!” we said, “no problem “we said! Then I remembered that the guest room was “almost guest room ready” except the bed was covered in clothes ready for the charity shop! I still cringe when I think about it now! Let’s but that episode to bed so to speak! I’ll add it wasn’t Christmas but it’s always good to be prepared!
Love this idea for a special touch instead of flowers for your guest room Christmas Table Top Tree
A guest room is a relaxing place for your guests not just to sleep but to enjoy space away from the household to relax and chill.
For the ultimate stressfree Christmas for your guests; include a basket of goodies that you know they’ll enjoy. I love to add something from Hotel Chocolate, a candle and a magazine or two.
A throw on the bed is always a good idea. How beautiful is this Dusty Pink Linen Bed Throw from Chalk Pink Linen Company?
In the bathroom include some toiletries, fluffy towels
Fresh flowers are always a nice touch so put a note in your diary to organise these for a few days before they arrive. Alternatively cut some from your garden and add a little festive sparkle.
I don’t mean get the decorations out right now but packing them away earlier this year seems like a life time ago. Can you remember what you have? How many broken items were there that you thought “I’ll fix” but never got there! It really is worth taking the trip to the store cupboard or attic to double check.
How do you fancy Christmas in a Box?? Take the stress away by having your table decorations delivered to you wherever you may be.
Perhaps you’re going planning a trip away this year?
Maybe you’re visiting relatives and would like to help remove the stress for them..?
Wherever you plan to spend Christmas – The Table Stylist have all your answers!
Christmas in a box, comes in two different styles; the Winter Wonderland and The Nutcracker. Both collections are the perfect gift idea for yourself or anyone who enjoys hosting dinner parties and special occasions.
The Winter Wonderland is my personal favourite. Picture the scene:
Transform your table top into a Christmas winter wonderland with a forest of snow dappled trees set against a white cotton runner & glittering fallen stars & faux snow.
Transform your table top into a Christmas winter wonderland with a forest of snow dappled trees set against a white cotton runner & glittering fallen stars & faux snow.
The glow of candle light creates a soft warming atmosphere. White frill cotton napkins are tied with dark green velvet bows, sprigs of fir and white berries while seagrass placemats provide a simple and elegant backdrop for your china.
Finally, for an extra special touch The Table Stylist have included fully recyclable crackers which come with jokes and hats and can be assembled with your own custom treats. You can rent or buy the whole collection or add to your collection each year. What a wonderful tradition to pass fown to your family?
Make it a special, stylish Christmas to remember. The Table Stylist have given me a special 15% discount for you on any of their items on their website; Simple add “CLAIRE15” at the checkout
Nothing says stressfree Christmas like Mary Berry’s Christmas Collection It combines time-honoured festive favourites with a variey of exciting dishes to spice up the season. By taking the traditional Christmas fare and giving it a twist, Mary adds sparkle to every celebration.
Simple yet reliable recipes and Mary’s handy hints will take the pressure off entertaining, whether it’s for the big day itself, a Boxing Day crowd or an intimate New Year family gathering.
With an invaluable Christmas Day countdown, sample menus, shopping lists and ever-popular tips on preparing ahead and freezing, this is the must-have companion to the festive season.
I’ve always been a huge fan of Mary Berry and her Christmas book is THE book I have always gone to. I’ve even gift it as birthday gift!
Consider also your freezer space.. I’ll be covering that more in a future blog, I’m just giving you a little hint!
A stressfree Christmas is all about preparation. 10 weeks is actually quite a lot of time. Bit by bit, taking stock of what you can do now and over the coming weeks, rather than tackling everything in the very last week, really does help.
Let me know which top tip you like best and remember to take a look at The Table Stylist with your 15% discount. before you know it, you will have already ticked one thing off your stress free Christmas list!
This blog is all about you! Let’s explore how to make your dreams come true by answering some simple questions.
Let’s discover what’s holding you back and how you can make that first move to unlocking the life you want.
If not now, then when? Grab a cuppa, your journal and a comfy spot – let’s go in!
If you were to write a list right now about what you would like your life to look like, what would be on it?
Take 5 minutes (or as long as you wish) to write down in your journal or notebook, everything you’d LOVE to be doing.
Don’t over think it.
Consider it almost like a wish list. You don’t need to think how it will happen, just simply what you would like your life to look like..
Sounds simple doesn’t it?
‘Rather than stifling enterprise, the pandemic has led to entrepreneurs creating new businesses in response to the crisis’
Dylan Jones-Evans, Business Live
These last 20 months have thrown our worlds upside down and inside out. The way we live, work and travel have all changed.
Face to face interviews for jobs became a 10 minute video submission to the panel sharing what you could bring to the company.
We worked from home, our childrens classrooms became the dining room table and we spent more time than ever online, connecting, communicating and evolving.
More than ever, we have become a world where we have had to adapt and craete a new way of living.
For many people I’ve had spoken to, it has bought a conversation of what has worked well for them during these strange times.
People have shared with me that they’ve felt that working from home has been better for them as the commuting times are non existant, therefore improving their quality of life. For some, it’s given them the nudge they needed to create their dream business or structure their home life balance a little better.
With this in mind what’s on your wishlist?
Maybe you’d like to start your own business.
Adopt.
Move the the country.
Write a book.
Overcome your biggest fear.
Find your body confidence..
Renovate a room in your home or maybe build your own home.
Whatever made your wish list, NOW is the time.
ASK YOURSELF: What’s holding you back from making your dreams a reality?
You may already know.
Perhaps you are thinking “nothing is holding me back” but don’t have exact clarity on where to start.
That’s OK.
Don’t tell me the sky’s the limit when there are footprints on the moon.
Imagine..
Imagine the thermometer in your home.
Set it to 21 degrees, guess what? Your home becomes a gorgeous 21 degrees – no more, no less.
Imagine if you set your personal thermometer to HIGH. You removed all the worry, self limiting beliefs and behaved that your wish had already become true.
What would you be doing?
What would your day look like?
What would you be wearing, feeling, saying?
Once you know the answers to these simple questions, you can start to make your dreams become true.
Really knowing what you’d like your life to look like and actually visualise, right down to the nitty gritty, what it would look like, that’s when the magic starts to happen1
Be bold, be brave and go for it!
”Happiness Is Not Something Readymade. It Comes From Your Own Actions.”
Dalai lama
More than anything, these last couple of years have taught us that nothing is certain and whilst that can be really scary. In some form it’s exciting..
Now really is the time to go for it.. make that jump, live that dream, because if not now – when?
It’s OK to make YOU a priority and create the live you wish to have.
I’d love to know how your attitudes and passions have changed. Please do join me on Instagram, where the conversation continues, with inspirational weekly mini missions which help you make life changes so your dreams come true.
Go to Easyfundraising and join for free. 
