Seizures, Meltdowns and Business Plans

What a whirlwind of a month February was. With James having to be taken into hospital on two separate occasions with Febrile Seizures (which you can read here), Harry's notorious meltdowns as he started to regress his new schedule. Sleepless nights and 4 o'clock wake up calls. The joys of being an Autism parent!

Its safe to say I'm not sorry to see the back of February.

Although it did have one thing happen that I will remember from February and that is starting up my own business. Starting up my own business is something I have always wanted to do and after a lot oh should I or shouldn't I, what will it be and can I work this around my family and our already hectic schedule? I decided to take the plunge and as good old Nike says 'just do it' and I couldn't be more happier.

There are so many exciting things I plan to do in March and in 2016 as a whole. I look forward to every single second of this journey and am so glad that I am able to do it and still be a stay at home mum to my two beautiful boys, as they are only this small once and every day counts.

 The days, months and years fly by in a blink so just enjoy the moment while you can.

Here's to a happier, less stressful March!

Top 5 Things to Do to De-Stress And Unwind

Being a mum can be the most reward and most challenging job n the world. There are days when you feel like pulling your hair out and in a split second that little monster who put a roll of toilet roll down the toilet for the third time that day, turns around and tells you they love you and it was all but a distant memory... until the next time that is!

That being said its important for us mums to make time for ourselves. Too switch off, if even just for 10 minutes, to re charge our batteries and clear our heads so we can be the best possible parent to our children as we can be. So here is a list of my top 5 things to do to de-stress and unwind.

Gym
Not really the first thing that springs to mind for all those sleep deprived mamas out there, but going to the gym is one of the things that I love to do if I have been having particularly hard ay with the kids. Going to a Pilates session or even just a 20 minute walk in the fresh air can clear your head and even give you that extra bit of energy to deal with the challenges that may face you when you get back!

Catch up on other blogs
I love nothing more than sitting down in a nice quite room with a cuppa tea and a biscuit and catching up on some blogs. Having two children under 4 can be very demanding, especially when my eldest has autism, which means my free time can be very limited and even non existent on some days. So its nice to take a few minutes to sit down relax and have a nice 'warm' cup of tea and just catch up with what's going on with some of my favourite bloggers and also a bit of online shopping (shh don't tell Mr B!).

Get a facial/nails done
There is nothing that makes me feel better than a fresh set of painted nails. Some times when Harry is at playgroup I will ask my nanny to take James for an hour and go and have an hour to myself to get my nails done or have a facial. I feel like a new woman after I get this done and it really helps clear my head and put me in a better frame of mind to deal with the challenges of every day life.

Date Night
Often I be so caught up in looking after the children and attending to their needs my husband always gets pushed to the back of the queue when it comes to my attention so when possible I love to have a date night with him and just unwind and enjoy some time as a coupe. Whether that be going to the cinema, out for something to eat or even something as simple as going for a cup of coffee and a stroll around the town.

Have a Bath
Does anyone else just completely switch off when having a bath? (That is if you can avoid multiple kids trying to join you or sitting on a rubber duck!) Its so nice, especially after a challenging day, to run a nice warm bath, light a few candles, pop some relaxing music on and just chill out to your fingers and toes go all wrinkly.

So there you have it my top 5 things to do to de-stress and unwind! What do you enjoy doing when you feel like switching off or have a spare couple of child free hours??

The Worst Night Of My Life

Monday 1st February @ 8:30 ish pm, was like most nights. We had our tea as a family, I got the boys into their pyjamas while Mr B done the dishes and James kissed his brother and said good night like he would most nights. As we live in a 'granny flat' attached to my in-laws house Mr B took James up to see his nanny while I done some ironing down in the bedroom (okay so I quickly blasted them with the steamer and hung them up, biggest time saver ever!!). James had a dirty nappy so they came back down to the house and got changed...

Then it happened.

The shouts for help.

All I can remember was hearing 'Laura its James come quick, come quick' at first I thought that James had an explosive nappy that needed extra assistance but when he shouted again I knew something was wrong. I could hear the fear in my husbands voice as he shouted for me to hurry. I ran as quick as I could down to the living room, where James was getting changed, and I couldn't believe what I was seeing. My precious little boy who I was laughing and playing with, who kissed his brother goodnight and happily waving bye bye to him, was having a seizure. His eyes were glazed and he was shaking uncontrollably. I shouted to my husband to ring for an ambulance and ran up to my mother in laws house for help and to see if anything had happened to him while he was up there. While there he continued shaking and started foaming up at the mouth and going blue. I had no idea what was happening. I thought he was dying. Mr B was on the phone to the ambulance service and they told us to put him in the recovery position. All the while my precious boy was still shaking. I was shaking. Then all of a sudden he just stopped, his eyes still glazed and rolled in the back of his head. I immediately checked his pulse as I thought he was dying on me. I have never experienced anything like this before in my life. He was lying on the kitchen floor motionless and floppy. I felt so helpless. It felt like it took the paramedics forever to come but it was only 10-15 minutes. I can safely say they were the longest minutes of my life. The paramedic took a heart trace and done all his obs, he told us that he thinks he has had a febrile seizure and that he would call an ambulance to get him checked out in hospital. Thankfully while we were in the ambulance James started to come round and the first thing he done was call out for his brother Harry, which immediately made my heart go from being torn into a thousand pieces to being completely melted. At the hospital the doctors wanted to keep him in over night for observation and take bloods the next morning. I didn't sleep much all night worrying about him and praying that everything would be ok. The nurses checked him over night and his temperature had started creeping up and spiking to 39 degrees so they gave him paracetamol and nurofen to help make him a bit more comfortable and bring the temperature down. In the morning he had his blood work done and the results all came back clear. However the Dr wanted to send him for an EEG to check his brain waves as when the seizure happened there was no real signs of him being unwell or having a high temperature so he wasn't confident in saying it was a febrile seizure and wanted to check for signs of epilepsy. That meant another nights stay in the hospital and more worry for a sleep deprived mummy. All night and into the next morning his temperature was still spiking so he was stripped of his closes and was left to rock around the ward in his nappy! He seemed happy enough by this showing off his nappy to everyone, pointing to the characters! That afternoon he went for his EEG and thankfully everything was clear. Due to his high temperatures following the seizure the doctors and specialists from another hospital felt confident enough that it was a febrile seizure which was caused by an underlying illness. They also assured me that febrile seizures are very common in young children, especially between 6months - 5 years.

 

 

Never in my life do I want to witness any of my children having a seizure again. The helplessness that you feel will never compare to anything that you have ever experienced before. I would highly recommend reading up on febrile seizures and what to do if, god forbid, it ever happens one of your little ones. I have attached a link from the NHS website that has loads of information about what it is and what you can do if it should happen and how to prevent it from happening.


Has this ever happened any of your children? Did they ever have it again? I would love to hear your experiences in the comments bellow.

 

 

Heavenly Tasty Organics Baby & Toddler Snacks - Review

A few weeks back the lovely Kristen from Heavenly Tasty Organics kindly got in contact with me to see is the boys would like to try out some of their organic snacks. I was delighted that the local business, who are based in Augher, Co. Tyrone, got in touch and couldn't wait to try out their products with the boys. James especially prefers to snack throughout the day rather to sitting down for one big meal, so I was looking forward to trying something new and something that was healthy with no added nasties!

When I received our box of delicious goodies the first thing I noticed was their gorgeous packaging. It was vibrant, clear and informative. Very eye catching. Within the box we where very generously sent two flavours of each of their Happy Halo Bites, Yummy Wafer Wisps and Coconut smoothies.

Happy Halo Bites

Both my boys love eating dry cereal and will often sit down with a bowl of cheerios and munch on them while watching TV or a favourite film, so I was excited to see if they also liked the Halo Bites as they would be the perfect healthy alternative...They loved them! The halo bites come in two flavours which are apple and banana and they are the perfect size for your little ones to pick up in their little hands. They are suitable for babies from 10 months old and contain 'ancient organic grains buckwheat and amaranth, blended with natural organic fruits, with nothing added, not even sugar or salt.' A great feature that comes with the Happy Halo Bites is resealable packaging, which will keep them fresh and stop them for spilling over your cupboards or bag.

Yummy Wafer Wisps

These yummy Wafer Wisps come in two unique flavours, Spinach, Apple & Kale and Pumpkin & Banana. Each box contains 6 packets and each packet has 3 wafers inside. These are also perfect for little hands and surprisingly relatively mess free as they just seem to melt in the mouth and don't get sticky. They would be the perfect finger food from 6 months as there isn't much risk of your child chocking as they literally just dissolve, but yet are still packed full of goodness. Perfect! I think these are a must for all changing bags because they are so handy to have as an on the go snack instead of running to the shop for a packet of crisps or chocolate bar when your child is getting peckish.

Coconut Squishes

I left the best to the last. These coconut squishes are amazing! They are packed full of goodness and only the best organic ingredients. They also come in two flavours, Mango, Apple & Banana and Strawberry, Apple & Banana. James absolutely loved these and even demanded more once he had finished his first one he loved them that much. They are the perfect size for him and he is able to 'suck' the contents of the coconut smoothie out by him self, which is great for days when he is ready for a snack and I'm busy with Harry or if we are out doing errands.

Overall I am super happy, as is James and Harry, of the Heavenly Tasty Organics snacks and I wil definitely be purchasing more. If you would like to get your hands on you own heavenly snacks you can get yours from Gordon's Chemists (N.I), SuperValu (ROI), Amazon and Ocado. You can also purchase directly from the Heavenly Tasty Organics webpage.

Have you tried any of the Heavenly Tasty Organics baby and toddler snacks? What did you think? We would love to hear in the comments.

Have a lovely weekend!

*We were kindly sent these items for review by Heavenly Tasty Organics, however all opinions are 100% my own*

My Bucket List of things to do with the kids 2016

So 2016 has arrived and I have decided to make the most out of this year and live it to the full. With that in mind I have written up a bucket list of 20 things that I want to achieve with the kids this year.

1. Take a trip to the zoo
2. Take a trip away on a plane/boat
3. Go on a holiday
4. Spend time at the seaside
5. Go to a water park
6. Go for a drive in a tractor
7. Feed the ducks
8. Ride a pony
9. Milk a cow
10. Go to 5 different National parks
11. Bake a cake
12. Draw chalk pictures outside on the pavement
13. Make a den
14. Go for a picnic
15. Have a Disney movie marathon
16. Visit a petting farm
17. Water balloon fight
18. Plant flowers
19. Make snow angles
20. Have a campfire

By the end of the year we will have every one of these completed! I'm determined to make it happen and of course I will capture all the memories and share with you!

Have you anything that you would like to tick of the list with the kids this year? Be on the look out for my 'Adult' bucket list coming soon!!

love,

Laura xx

Liz Earle Strengthening Nail Colour - Review

Hi everyone hope you are all having a happy hump day! Only two more days to go until you can relax for the weekend. With the weekend in mind I decided to give a review on the Liz Earle Strengthening Nail Colour which would be a great addition to your weekend attire.

Liz Earle launched their signature blue shade for their 20th Anniversary, which I got for Christmas, and what can I say only I love it. I have a love hate relationship with nail polish. Maybe for the reason that I'm a busy mum and I don't have time to wait to let the polish dry fully and in a matter of hours they are chipped and ready to come off again. But not with the Liz Earle polishes. I was pleasantly surprised to get full nail colour coverage with only one coat, great for when I'm in a rush, and also quick drying which is exactly what I hope for in nail polishes, as like I said I don't always have time to wait for the polish to dry between coats. I always like to apply two coats of polish for extra durability and strength but you could definitely get away with just one coat of the strengthening nail colour.

The strengthening polish is enriched with avocado and borage oils to help aid strengthening during wear, which is exactly what my brittle nails need at the moment during these cold winter months. The easy applied colour glides on to leave a glossy sheen finish and its chip resistant formula lasts up to 12 days.

Overall I am very happy with the Liz Earle Strengthening Nail Colour in the shade Signature Blue and will definitely be purchasing more in the near future.

The polishes come in a range of 15 colours and can be bought from Lizearle.com.

Laura xx

*All opinions are 100% my own and I was not compensated in anyway for this review*