To Blog or Not to Blog? That is the Question!

On 2nd July 2013 I introduced myself to the blogging world. Little did I know that I would still be sat here nearly 5 years later. The title to this post may have you wondering what I am going to write. To blog or not to blog? That is the question on my mind.

Over the last few weeks the amount of times that I have sat and written has reduced dramatically. This is due to a number of factors the main one being my return to the world of the employed. I love being back at work, socialising with adults and have human contact. Staying at home with the laptop can be extremely isolating. But on the other hand the blogging community is one of the strongest, most loyal online communities that there is. I have some wonderful friends that I would not have if it were not for blogging. But, for my mental health and stability, I need to have actual people around me, not virtual people. Since I returned to work I have noticed an improvement in my mental health. Having a routine in my life and the feeling of need has brought the 'old' me back. I thrive at work and even want more hours (yes I am that crazy!). 

I have also found that juggling everything together is even harder than I expected. I was putting too much pressure on myself. I wanted to work full time, be the ideal housewife, the perfect mum and blogger all in one. But as we all know there are only so many hours in the day.

I need to sleep, I cannot do everything.

So, something has to give!

Weekly Meal Plan - #MealPlanningMonday 2018 Week 16

Hello and welcome to week 16 of #MealPlanningMonday!

This week is a week to go back to normality. The children have returned to school today, I am back to work and we have got our routine back. Following the Easter holidays I have gone back to part time hours at work, which I have to admit is kind of nice. I have got the house to myself this morning, I have been able to walk the children to school and have got some 'me' time back!

Last week we enjoyed a lovely, but busy, week away in Northumberland. We went out every single day, we spent quality time together as a family and time out from social media did me the world of good! I have even found that since coming home I have kept away from checking Facebook every few minutes. While we were away we visited lots of National Trust and English Heritage sites and found that having membership for both saved us a lot of money. Now that the twins are older we found that they were curious and keen to learn about the places that we visited and it was lovely. The weather may not have been great, we got wet in the rain, we got cold in the wind and splashed in the cold sea with the sun on our back and it was perfect!

How Omega Fats Are Good For Your Diet - Guest Post

Picture courtesy of Pixabay

Omega-3 fatty acids have an incredible reputation when it comes to basic nutrition. But for sure there will be a lot of questions on your mind regarding them. Like what are Omega-3s? Is it important for my health? Will a deficiency cause problems? We will answer these question in time. But before that let us get down to the basics.

What are Omega-3 fatty acids?

We could get into the chemistry of it, but that is a whole other diverse topic. Here is what you need to know. Omega-3 fat is the good kind of fat. The kind that will benefit your health in an effective way. The polyunsaturated fatty acids are the holy grail of nutrients.

What you need to know

Most health organizations recommend 250 - 500 mg of these healthy fats per day. Those suffering from heart ailments and cancer must go up to 4000 mg per day. These essential fatty acids cannot be made by the human body and must be consumed through diet. There are three types of Omega-3 fatty acids: ALA, EPA and DHA. They each play a significant role in nutrition. Apart from these vital facts, read on to find its benefits on your health.

Holiday Weekly Meal Plan - #MealPlanningMonday 2018 Week 15

Hello and welcome to week 15 of #MealPlanningMonday!

This weeks meal plan is a bit different as this week we are on holiday! We are staying in Northumberland for the week with my parents. Holidays are the perfect time to spend quality time together as a family away from the day to day routine. To make life easier and the load in the car lighter we did an online order that was delivered to the cottage on our arrival. As we did the order before coming my mum and I were able to plan some meals. We will not be cooking everyday but taking it in turns to cook will certainly save us a lot of money that would have been spent on meals out.

This is what we have got planned for this weeks meals...

Spring Cleaning with Dr Beckmann

As we head into the final term of the academic year I always find that the children's white t-shirts and shirts start to get tired looking. But with just one term left I really do not want to be going out to buy new shirts for three children. So when I was asked if I would like to try some Dr Beckmann products I saw it as the ideal opportunity to not only save me buying more shirts but to also put the products to the test.

I received a package of:

• Stain Devils Pre-Wash
• Glowhite Ultra
• Stain Devils Survival Kit

The Stain Devils Pre-Wash works on both old and new stains. Dr. Beckmann’s Pre-Wash Stain Devil contains a unique Triple Active Complex that’s tough on stains, yet gentle on fabrics. Removing a variety of everyday stains from grease to baby food, this powerful gel is suitable for all washable white and colours, even working at low temperatures, on short cycles. This household essential doesn’t contain bleach, yet works fast to remove stains in 10-15 minutes with the help of the unique soft brush applicator. This is a great way to target stains without treating the whole garment.

My Little Sous-Chef Tandem Cookbook Review

All of my children love to help me cook. Whether it is baking a cake or preparing a dinner they always want to be involved. Cooking is such a valuable life skill for our children to learn and a fantastic way to teach them about cooking and eating a healthy diet.

When My Little Sous-Chef asked if I would like to try their cookbook I jumped at the chance. My Little Sous-Chef is not your regular cookbook, it is the first tandem cookbook. You get two cookbooks, one for the grown ups and one for the children. Both books feature the same recipes, the grown ups book contains the detailed recipes and mouthwatering pictures whereas the children's cook is full of easy step by step instructions that are accompanied by fun drawings.

The cookbooks are divided into three scrumptious chapters:

• Have a Bite - 7 recipes for lunches, light bites, buffet food, including sausages rolls, focaccia, pizza muffins and cheese crackers
• Enjoy your Meal - 13 main meal recipes including bean tacos, gnocchi, spinach ravioli and fishballs
• Yay, Dessert! - 10 irresistible sweet treats including apple roses, cheesecake, tiramisu and brownies

#CookBlogShare 2018 Week 14 - Plus Three Irresistible Drinks!

Hello foodies and welcome to week 14 of the CookBlogShare linky.

I hope you all had a tasty Easter weekend. We enjoyed fish on good Friday which was followed by a mouthwatering roast lamb dinner cooked by the hubby on Easter Sunday! I will admit to being a mad shopper on the Saturday before Easter Sunday. I suddenly remembered that I had not picked up any fresh rosemary for the roast and every single shop (yes, I made the hubby drive to all of the supermarkets in the area!) had sold out. This meant that we had to rethink our roast ideas and if I am completely honest, it was even better! I simply left some dried rosemary in some rapeseed oil to soften with some chopped garlic and sea salt then before putting the leg of lamb in the oven it was scored and rubbed with the oil. It was that simple and so tasty.

It is lovely to have some time off work and being at home with the family. This week is going to fly by, the hubby has gone back to work today but is off from Thursday as we are having a week up in stunning Northumberland. This is my idea of pure bliss. I love Northumberland and always find holidays there so relaxing. I am looking forward to plenty of beach walks, freshly caught fish and delicious food, time out and quality family time. I am even planning on some time out from social media and having a true break from everything.

Anyway, back to CookBlogShare. Last week the linky was hosted by Monika at Everyday Healthy Recipes who did an Easter inspired round up. There were so many Easter recipes shared and despite looking so good, I have decided to go for a different theme this week.

Unfortunately there were not four recipes of the same theme so I have gone with the three that I could not resist! Here are my three favourite recipes from week 13 of CookBlogShare....

Weekly Meal Plan - #MealPlanningMonday 2018 Week 14

Hello and welcome to week 14 of #MealPlanningMonday!

Yay! It is now the Easter holidays. I had a week and a half off blogging but now that I have got going again I realise that I have missed it. For me blogging has always been a way for me to get things and ideas out of my head. There is something so therapeutic about writing. This week's meal plan is full of meals that I know I am going to have time to cook, unlike when I am at work.

On Friday we are going to be leaving my mother in law, who has been living with us until the sale of her house goes through, and going up to the stunning Northumberland for a week away with my parents. This is a part of the country that I love, it is such a beautiful part of the country that is so unspoiled. We will be staying in Bamburgh and one thing I am looking forward to is walks along the perfect coastline with the castle in my view. To make next weeks meals easier and cheaper my mum and I are going to do an online order so that we can get the groceries delivered, which will save us taking a lot of food with us, to save us doing a big shop once we get there. Next weeks meal plan will be full of easy meals that can be made while on holiday so keep an eye put for that!

Now onto this weeks meal plan. This is what we will be enjoying this week...