Raisie Bay - Page 2 of 335 - A Family and Lifestyle Blog

6 Ways to Bring Your Family Closer Together

November 20, 2020 by Anne Sweet 1 Comment

Modern family life can be busy, especially when parents are working, and all the kids are attending school. With different schedules, social commitments, and interests, it can be difficult to get everyone in the same room spending quality time together. Now and again, it is important to make a conscious effort to reconnect, and to make time for family fun. If you are feeling disconnected from your children and are worried that you are spending most of your time on the practicalities of life, it is time to address the issue. This article highlights six ways to bring your family closer together and strengthen your bond.

1. Be affectionate

Young children tend to seek out physical affection, but as they creep into their teenage years they can start to pull away. Children, teenagers, and adults need affection at every stage of life. Whether it is a hug, a kiss goodnight, a pat on the back, or a high five, maintain a physical connection with all the members of your family. If you are not a naturally affectionate family, snuggling up on the couch for movie night is a fantastic excuse to get everyone together and feeling comfortable.

2. Show gratitude

Often, we do not tell the people we care about how much they mean to us and how thankful we are for our family. Aside from the festive season or birthdays, we tend to assume that other people know how we feel. Instead, why not make a point of expressing what you are thankful for more regularly?

3. Sit down to dinner together

In the morning, breakfast is often a rushed affair with everyone charging around trying to get out of the door on time. Lunch is spent at work or school, so most of the time dinner is the only meal a family will share. Make it an event where you sit down, turn off the TV, and ask each other about your day. If you don’t have a lot of time to make dinner and then spend quality time eating it, prepare food the night before or order a pizza using Papa Johns coupons.

family life, sitting down to dinner together. Photo shows two parents and a child at the dinner table clinking their glasses together.

4. Laugh together

Laughing has been found to have a positive impact on our mental wellbeing and laughing with others can be a bonding experience. Even the seemingly mundane days have humor in them if you can stop worrying or stressing long enough to see the funny side. Whether you start a pillow fight, tell jokes, watch a funny movie, or play with the dog, take every opportunity to laugh.

5. Exercise together

Exercise is an important part of a healthy lifestyle, so it makes sense to make it a regular part of your family life. There are lots of ways to stay active that do not require a gym membership or strenuous activity, such as walking the dog, cycling in the park, playing sports, dancing to music, or playing tag in the garden. Click here for ways to keep children active.

6. Look after the house

When kids are old enough, looking after the house and keeping on top of the chores should be a team effort. In fact, giving children a regular chore to perform each day or week helps them to develop a sense of responsibility and teaches them useful skills for the future. Try making cleaning fun by making it a game or a contest. When the house is kept tidy and clean, you will not have to spend evenings or weekends doing the housework and can devote this time to reconnecting with your kids.

*This is a collaborative post

Word of the Week 47 – Repairing

November 20, 2020 by Anne Sweet 8 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 phrase this week is ‘repairing’ 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 – Repairing

a pink floral background with the word repairing in bold text

Last week we were struggling but now things are getting better so I’ve chosen the word repairing.

The girls are feeling better and have been going into school every day. It’s been a lot easier this week. We realised our routine and indeed our life needing repairing, so we made some changes and things have improved already.

You may remember I was having some trouble with my crochet project, well I continued and eventually got it all worked out. Then when finished I realised it still wasn’t right. I went on to a group for help and found there were others having the same problems. So together we are repairing the pattern and hopefully, I will get my shawl. (I do have to wait for some more wool to come back in stock though.) In the meantime, my blanket is coming along lovely.

We have also had a leak in our downstairs bathroom which has caused a slow flood which I’ve had to mop up regularly. We had a plumber out to repair it but he ended up making it worse. Thankfully we got him back and fingers crossed the leak has stopped now.

Things are looking better and now I’m thinking of Christmas and how I can make it nice this year. I feel so bad for all those who may have to miss out on family celebrations. We are already a household of seven so my home never feels empty. I couldn’t imagine being without my family. Fingers crossed that this current lock down goes some way into repairing the damage being done by the virus and we can get through this and look to a happier future.

I’m trying a new badge code this week so please let me know if you have any trouble with it as it may need repairing 🙂

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Why choose Thrive CBD Oil?

November 17, 2020 by Anne Sweet 1 Comment

I’ve written about CBD oil before and I’ve used it myself for quite a while. I’ve tried so many different types, it can be difficult to choose one that really suits your needs. I was really happy to try Thrive CBD Oil, and I think it’s my favourite.

Why Choose Thrive?

When I was asked to try Thrive CBD oil I was given the choice of peppermint or blood orange flavour. I was a bit stunned, a CBD oil with a nice flavour, was that even possible? I chose blood orange and was excited to try it. I was sent a bottle for free in return for my honest opinion.

Thrive CBD oil collage, one pick of the box and the other a light purple bottle of Thrive CBD oil

The CBD oil arrived in a lovely box and on opening I found a lovely lilac coloured bottle. It actually felt like a treat to open rather than something medicinal.

I followed the instructions and used the pipette to administer the oil under my tongue. Now, being a CBD oil user I was prepared for the awful taste, but Thrive was truly tasty, it was like biting into a chocolate orange. Yes, the oil residue was left behind, but it still wasn’t as unpleasant as most oils I’ve tried. Trust me, this is a huge bonus.

The taste isn’t everything though. Thrive is a transparent company that lays down everything about their products so you can make the best choice. It’s lab tested twice, internally and by a third party. Thrive use the best hemp from organic farms, it’s gluten free, vegan and GMO-free. It’s produced naturally and there is no THC or toxins in the product. They also use recyclable packaging to post the oil out in.

Why Use CBD Oil?

CBD oil has many benefits for chronic pain sufferers and those with anxiety problems. Every person has an endocannabinoid system in their body (even if you’ve never used cannibis.) This system affects a lot of your daily life including your sleep pattern and pain levels.

Using CBD oil causes an interaction with this system and can help the receptors respond properly. This is still being researched, but the amount of people using CBD oil has increased and the results are looking good.

CBD oil can be useful for pain and stress relief, but mainly it helps to maintain your entire wellbeing by creating a balance within your body.

My Thoughts and Results

I loved the packaging of the CBD oil, it’s so much prettier than the usual brown bottle, but the content has to be just as good.

I loved the taste, I can honestly say it’s the best tasting CBD oil I have ever tried and I’m now keen to try the peppermint too. CBD oil can be a big put off because of taste, so I think this is important. It doesn’t take away the residue oil, and you can still taste the CBD a little but it’s so much nicer to take.

Does it work? Well, I’m a chronic illness sufferer. My pain is constant and I’ve yet to find anything that will take it away completely. But, keeping myself as healthy as possible and using things that help me do that can stop me from getting worse, or having ‘flare ups’ where I can feel ten times worse. CBD oil does help with that It also helps with keeping calm when I feel like I’m losing control.

I’ve been taking Thrive CBD oil three times a day for just over a week now. I’ve been sleeping better and shortly after a dose I tend to feel a lot more relaxed and able to cope with my pain better.

If you were thinking of trying CBD oil then I’d recommend Thrive.

Here is a little photo of the things that make me feel better, CBD oil, crystals, plants, candles and oil burners. Taking a little time for self care and relaxation can make big improvements to your health.

Photo showing a candle and oil burner in the background, a bowl full of crystals, two little plant pots with cacti and in front a bottle of Thrive CBD oil

Disclosure: I was sent a bottle of Thrive oil in Blood Orange flavour to try out. I have given my honest opinion of the product.

Are You Feeling SAD? Help for Seasonal Affected Disorder.

November 16, 2020 by Anne Sweet 8 Comments

I am not a SAD sufferer but I know others who are. So, what is SAD? Seasonal Affected Disorder is a recognised mental health disorder that affects people during particular season and is most frequently felt during the cold winter months. It can be really debilitating for some.

I am not a doctor or qualified to give medical advice, but I hope I can give you some coping techniques if you are suffering from SAD. These are tips I’ve picked up while trying to help others and ones that I’ve used myself when suffering from stress and depression. At the end of this post I will list places in the UK where you can seek professional help if you are not coping. Please don’t suffer alone, and don’t think you are the only one. There is help available and you can feel better.

Photo shows a silhouette of a person sitting on bench with their head in their hands while the sun sets in the background. Seasonal Affected Disorder

Symptoms of Seasonal Affected Disorder

You may feel some or all of these symptoms. If you do then please seek some help to make you feel better. You are never alone!

lack of energy, wanting to sleep a lot, or not being able to sleep at all
Not Being able to concentrate
Feeling ill all the time, like you are catching every bug going
Feeling negative all the time, sad, lonely, guilty, hopeless
Changes in appetite, not wanting to eat or snacking constantly
Not being able to sleep properly
Wanting to spend more time alone without anyone around
suicidal feelings
Other feelings that come with depression.

This list is not extensive but you may recognise something in yourself.

Tips for Coping with Seasonal Affected Disorder

These are some tips that I’ve picked up. They may help you feel better but if the SAD feelings continue please seek medical intervention.

Light therapy. As a lot of people suffer SAD in the winter season it could very well be linked to the lack of light in the daytime. You can make your days brighter with special lighting.
Getting as much daylight as possible is good for you, so make sure you don’t start sleeping the day away, and when you can, spend some time outside in the daylight. Wrap up warm and go for a walk.
Exercise if you can. A lot of people find that exercise helps a lot, whether it’s yoga, running or something else, just a little each day can help a lot.
Talk about it. You’ll be surprised at how many people will understand how you feel and it can be a help to share your worries.
Plan ahead for those times that you know are going to be worse. Make meals in advance and freeze them so you know you have something when you don’t feel like cooking.
Keep a diary and write down how you feel. Writing can be very cathartic.

There is a lot more help available from the sources listed below.

Do Children Get SAD?

Children can definitely get depressed and it may very well be seasonal. Especially for a child who spends a lot of time playing out during the summer months. The cold, dark winter months can feel like a hard slog to get through.

You can watch out for the signs of depression in your child which are similar to those mentioned above. If you are worried about them then talk to them. Just let them know that whatever they are feeling they can always turn to you. Listen to their worries no matter how trivial they may seem. To them it’s not so trivial and it can be life changing. Keeping the communication going is vital during these times.

Children may be able to get help from school too. If you are worried about your child’s mental health, do speak to their school and see if there is anything they can do. My girl’s school have a great mental health team which is available if needed.

These Worrying Times

Things are particularly difficult at the moment. There is so much to worry about and everyone’s life is being disrupted thanks to the COVID pandemic. Whether it’s money, jobs or schools it all adds to the extra stress of coping with shorter days and not being with family and friends.

I’m going to list some helpful sites now. But I also hope that you don’t need them. If you ever want anyone to talk to then please feel free to seek me out on Social Media or even e-mail. Let’s get through this together.

My Sunday Snapshot and Ordinary Moments

November 15, 2020 by Anne Sweet 8 Comments

This week has been a struggle. I’m beginning to feel a real cabin fever, like I need to escape somewhere. I guess, I’m not the only one with lock down restrictions, but even without them I’m not sure where I’d go. So, I’m stuck at home with the cats for company, watching Christmas movies and doing my crochet. So this weeks snapshot are of Ash.

Snapshot of Ash

snapshot of my cat Ash — snapshot of Ash

Ordinary Moments

Somedays I feel like I’m glued to this settee. Just like Ash. I sit here, crochet, read, watch television. I bet some would feel jealous. It’s not as good as it seems though. I would love to get up, jump in the car and go to the shops. Yes, I’d wear my mask, I don’t mind. I’d be good at social distancing I believe. I don’t actually know, because I haven’t even tried it. I’ve not been out. It’s been 37 days since I left the house at all and that was to go to the hospital.

So, I sit, glued to the settee with my cats for company and my family driving me nuts.

I think my family are fed up of each other’s company too. My eldest hasn’t left the house since March. He refuses to go out, even in the car. My daughter isn’t going to work. My husband is getting increasingly frustrated by not being able to visit his friends and family. We only have each other. Which should be good, but sometimes it isn’t. Sometimes it’s hard.

I’ve not given in to putting up the Christmas tree and decorations though. That can wait a bit longer. But, I have been watching Christmas Movies at the weekend. I get up earlier than everyone else, grab myself a cup of tea and my crochet and watch a Christmas Movie. It’s a good start to the day, a simple way of feeling good for a while. Now, if only I could make it last, or at least share the good feeling with everyone else. The chances of getting anyone else in my family to watch at Christmas Movie is a million to one! Even the kids.

What have you been doing to pass time or make yourself feel good?

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