Raisie Bay - Page 2 of 343 - A Family and Lifestyle Blog

My Sunday Snapshot – The Boy is Strong!

February 14, 2021 by Anne Sweet 8 Comments

I’ve cheated a little for this weeks snapshot. I made My Little Man strong by using an app. This is my boys face, nothing else belong to him.

A photo of a strong boy in a super hero outfit in front of a chalk board with a drawing of huge weights.

We were messing around as one of his school party ideas was to make a ‘face in the hole’ picture, but he wouldn’t make one himself so I used an app. I haven’t really taken many photos this week so I chose to share this one.

Feeling Strong

It is hard to keep feeling strong during these difficult times. The whole world is a difficult place to be right now and sometimes it’s better to switch off the news and just get on with it. Then life at home can be difficult when everyone is cooped up inside all the time. The weather doesn’t help either, it’s been so very cold. Some have enjoyed the snow, other’s have had their lives disrupted by it. We have had to endure no heating for a couple of days when our boiler broke down.

Some people are going through hell right now, coping with so many things, grieving not only loved ones but normal life itself. And then there are those that are sick, which is awful for them but lets not forget the families waiting for news, to hear if their loved ones are going to be okay. It’s difficult to be strong.

What can be we do to be strong? All we can do is what we do every day, live our lives as best as we can and wait and hope that this pandemic will be over at we can all get back to some sort of normality. And if our normality changes forever, then we will have to deal with it. Sometimes, the longer you fight something the harder it becomes to accept. Then life just gets harder and you are fighting all the time.

It’s okay not to be strong. We all have times when everything gets too much and we feel like crawling into our shells. There is nothing wrong with that. Our strength and determination will re-appear someday, it might be different but we will cope.

More of my Sunday Photos

Word of the Week 7 – I Am So Ready

February 12, 2021 by Anne Sweet 5 Comments

Hello and welcome to the home of Word of the Week. A nice and simple weekly linky, with everyone welcome to pop by and share. The idea of the linky is to reflect back on your past week and share it with us. It’s great if you can sum it up in a word or phrase, hence giving us your Word of the Week. My word this week is ‘Ready’ and you can read more about that below.

I’m not totally strict on using just a word or phrase. But please try to stick to the theme of summing up your week. There are not too many rules with this linky, just remember to read at least another couple of posts in the link up after adding your link. I will read and comment on all posts and tweet them out for you. I also have a Pinterest board devoted to Word of the Week and I will add posts to Mix Please add the badge below to your post so that others may find us and join in. If you comment or tweet then please use the hashtag #WotW

Word of the Week is open from 6am on Friday Morning to 12 noon on Monday. Plenty of time to join in!

If you are unfamiliar with the Word of the Week linky then please feel free to ask any questions. New linkers are always welcome, we love to hear what you have been up to in the past week.

MY WORD OF THE WEEK – READY

I’m so ready for the school holidays..how weird is that. The kids haven’t been to school yet this year, but I still can’t wait for a break. We need a break from the constant school work and nagging, and crying, and tantrums, sleepless nights, rough mornings, arguments, shouting I could go on and on but bring on the half term break..we are ready!

Ready, coloured text on a blue background #wotw

By the time you read this I’m hoping my boiler will be fixed and we will be warm again. At the moment it’s frosty outside, it’s been snowing but it’s now frozen over. My house is generally warm but not when it’s this cold outside. I wasn’t ready for this and I’m sitting here in a blanket, heated shoulder wrap and fingerless mittens. I will be ready for this happening again though, I’ve just bought an electric radiator.

The kitchen is nice and toasty though. I have been struggling to get my washing dry. I have a tumble dryer but there is always a reason we can’t have it on. The kitchen window has to be open and it’s too cold in there, we are cooking and it’s too hot with it on, it’s too noisy and disturbs sleep, there are so many clothes we can’t risk shrinking (boo, to being a tall family) and clothes with special materials, or transfers that can’t be tumble dried. So the tumble dryer doesn’t get much use. I had a clothes airer to put my wet washing on when I can’t hang it out, but when its cold it can take a couple of days to dry anything. So, I bought myself a heated clothes airer. I have wanted one for a long time but I didn’t feel ready to spend over a hundred pound on an airer when I had a tumble dryer. But honestly, it’s worth every penny. And it’s currently warming my cold kitchen while the heating is off. It’s silent and dries my clothes in a day. I’m actually thinking of bringing it into my living room to warm us up!

As I mentioned before we are so ready for the half term break. But a little more, the children are ready to start afresh. They have fallen behind with a lot of stuff so have spent a couple of days this week on special catch up sessions provided for them. When they start back after half term they will be ready and (hopefully) willing to just get on with it.

We are also getting ready for the garden makeover. Graham has booked a slot at the local tip and recycling centre to get rid of some of the rubbish that has accumulated at the side of the house. I have also sorted a clothes collection for all our unwanted clothes. After a bedroom clear out we have ended up with nine black bags full of unwanted clothes. The collection takes them off for charity or recycle use.

Have you seen that Sphock advertisement on TV where they get rid of everything with one click…ah if only it was that easy. Even listing all our stuff on Ebay wouldn’t be worth the money. I did it before with some of the kids clothes, spent about an hour photographing and listing, then the packaging, posting, printing lables etc. I earned about £7, probably worked out at about 50p an hour for the work put in.

So, this week I’m ready for anything, especially having the boiler fixed today! And I am so ready for some warmer weather…roll on Spring!

Now it’s over to you, what word or phrase sums up your week this week?

<div align="center"><a href= "https://www.raisiebay.com" rel=”nofollow” title="Word of the Week"><img src="https://www.raisiebay.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/word-of-the-week-badge.png" alt="Word of the Week linky" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

Ear Infections and How To Treat Them

February 9, 2021 by Anne Sweet 1 Comment

Have you ever had an ear infection. I think most people have and they are pretty awful. I have always had bad ears, starting with Glue Ear as a child and having many Ear, nose and throat infections.

ear - lady lying on her sign showing an ear.

Symptoms of Ear Infections

The most common symptoms of ear infections include

earache or pain
fever
discharge/fluid from the ear
deafness or blocked ears
dizziness
noises in the ear/tinnitus

Ear infections can be caused by virus, bacteria, fungus or yeast and can affect the outer, middle or inner parts of your ear.

Taking Care of Your Ears

We all need to take care of our ears as we would do any other part of our body. Earing loss can occur at any time but prolonged exposure to loud noise or headphone use can exacerbate this problem. Here are some tips on how you can take better care of your ears and prevent infections and hearing loss.

Use Earplugs if you have to be around loud noises frequently.
Limit your use of headphone and earpods. Opt for headphones when you can just so you are not constantly putting objects into your ears.
Do not put things in your ears such as cotton buds.
Discuss medications with your GP. Certain medications, such as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS) like aspirin, ibuprofen and naproxen, can sometimes contribute to hearing loss.
Keep your ears dry particularly after swimming and bathing/showering
Manage stress as it is known to have an adverse affect on your hearing and can contribute to tinnitus
Visit a reputable care centre like Auris Ear Care if you have any worries about your ear health.

Ear Wax

Ear wax is one of my pet hates but it is a necessary by-product produced by your ears to protect them. It has a cleansing, anti-bacterial and lubricating properties and when produced in the right amount it is essential. Excess ear wax, however, can be troublesome. It can become impacted in your ears and cause lots of problems such as a feeling of blocked ears, pain, hearing loss, dizziness and in some cases tinnitus.

Trying to clean your ears yourself, with cotton buds for example, can cause even more problems by pushing the wax further into the ear canal. The best way to remove excess wax is to have it done by suction by an ear care specialist.

Finding Relief From Ear Infections

Ear ache is quite awful and I pity anyone who suffers from it. Middle ear infections may need anti-biotics to treat them, but a proper consultation with an ear, nose and throat specialist can help.

When I had ear ache as a child I found that a warm towel would ease the pain, but this can make some people feel worse. Ibuprofen can reduce any inflammation in the ear, so that might be a better option.

You can buy ear drops that help to decrease infection and loosen wax build up. But if it happens frequently then you need to see a specialist to determine the cause.

Do you suffer from ear problems?

When Did You Last Have Your Hearing Tested?

*This is a collaborative post

My Sunday Snapshot, Confession! We are Really Missing School

February 7, 2021 by Anne Sweet 13 Comments

This is not one of my photographs, I have taken from last weeks school newsletter. It’s the Little Man when he was at school and it has made me realise just how much we are missing school.

Really Missing School

It’s been a tough few weeks and I’ve come to the conclusion that our main problem is that we are missing school. This has come to a real shock for me. I’m one of those Mum’s who countdown to school holidays, love having my kids around all day and I am very hands on with their home learning. But, it’s not all about me and my kids are unhappy, and when my kids are unhappy, I am too.

The girls have not been to school properly for nearly a year now. We tried when they went back in September but it didn’t work out. They couldn’t cope with all the new rules and felt unsafe. The school compromised with a safe place for them to go for an hour and half each day. They didn’t learn much and I complimented their education at home with Ed Place. It wasn’t great though, they missed their friends and school interactions. The Summer holidays arrived and lock down relaxed, but they were still too anxious to go out. We did have a friend around on each of the kid’s birthdays. That’s all the interaction they have had in real life.

Computers

All three children now spend most of the day on their computers. Once, computer time would be limited but now they actually get their lessons onlines. They attend classes on Team meetings and then write and submit their work online. Once they are finished they play with their friends…again through their computer screens. I don’t want to deny them this interaction even though I feel they have had enough time glued to their screens.

I try to break it up with other activities like baking, family games and even helping with the housework. It’s so difficult to keep them off their computers though.

Home School

I love having my children home and I love teaching them. I can help with practically everything they are learning (yes, even algebra.) My weak subjects are geography and physics but I’m willing to learn with them. I’ve told them this but they don’t want my help. Even when they get stuck, asking Mum just isn’t a welcome option. The Little Man is better, he will let me help him. I found out last week that even though he was attending school all day online, he was not submitting his work. So we knuckled down and got that done.

As much as I love having my kids home, and I would rather have them here and safe, it’s started to get to me not having a moment to myself. Having teenage girls, they don’t go to bed until I do, and they are here all day. Even if they spend a few hours in their bedroom in the evening, I still have to make sure they are behaving, showering, eating, going to bed at the right time. I would like a break sometime. I do miss that peace and quiet I had after the manic rush to get them off to school. I do miss not having to worry about lunch, just grabbing something when I could. Now I have an hour to make sure everyone is fed and ready for the next lessons to begin.

And as much as the girl’s complained about school, I know they are missing it now, it’s been way too long. And it looks like Star won’t be going back at all.

It’s a different story for The Little Man. He went back in September. His school was brilliant and they did really well at keeping the virus at bay. He loves school, and they spent a lot of time outdoors (As his photo above shows.) He misses his friends and teachers and even though he loves his computer he has become so bored of it.

So, that’s my confession for this week. We are really missing school!

Find Something Unique for Your Valentine on Etsy

February 6, 2021 by Anne Sweet 2 Comments

Valentines day will soon be here but if you’ve not treated your love one yet, let me tempt you with some unique ideas that you probably won’t find elsewhere for your Valentine.

I am a big Etsy fan and I’ve favourited a lot of lovely items in one place here:

I’ll highlight some of my favourites for you.

Sole Mates

How about some Valentine Socks? These can be both for men or women and you can personalise them with any names and dates.

personalised socks for Valentines day — personalised socks £7

Or These husband and wife matching pairs with personalisation.

unique valentines gift of two pairs of matching socks — First Valentines and Mr and Mrs £25

Unique Valentine Mugs

Everyone loves a mug and here are some really nice ones.

unique valentines mugs with the word love and personalised with names. — Valentine Love mugs pair personalised. £18.99

This one is a bit pricey but the reviews say it’s a big mug and it’s such a lovely surprise sentiment.

My husband loves baked beans so this mug would be perfect for him. You can add your own personal message on the back too.

Candles

Candles are lovely and romantic, here are just a couple of unique hand made candles you can find on Etsy.

Gorgeous coconut candle in a recycled coconut shell and decorated with shells and petals

coconut candle with shells — coconut candle £21.93

This is a coconut candle in a handmade ceramic jar.

Small Unique Valentine Gifts

Looking for something small but unique?

personalised guitar pick — guitar pick £8.40

key ring which says I hope your day is a nice as my butt — cheeky key ring £11

you stole a pizza my heart key ring — Pizza key ring £5.95

date night jar — Personalised Date Night Jar £8.50

Unique Printables and Cards

Some great ideas here for you to print yourself. Or why not try a hand made card to make it a special day.

Make your wine special with a printed label

Happy Valentines Day wine bottle label print — printable label £1.80

Unique Cards you won’t find in the shop.

white hearts cut out on a red background card — handmade card £5.50

red hearts and flowers on valentines card — Valentines Card for wife £3.50

I hope I have given you some inspiration to take a look at Etsy for Valentines Day. Find loads more ideas with the Etsy Editors picks for Valentines Day.

I am an affiliate for Etsy so if you do go along and buy something you may earn me a little money at no extra cost to yourself. Thank you for appreciating the time and effort I put into producing these posts and for supporting my blog.

My Disclosure Policy

Subscribe to blog via Email