Author: Oana

January health product review

January is always a “blah” month, wellbeing experts say. The holiday letdown, the extra weight accumulated during Christmas, the dark evenings and cold days, the New Year resolutions that we weren’t able to keep, they all lead to low moods. This year, we were lucky enough to be sent a number of health products to review, all aiming to give us more energy, keep us in good form and combat those January blues. We have been avid consumers of vitamin C since we travelled to New York a few years back and we were told by a friend and expert in alternative medicine to “abuse” the use of vitamin C before and  after our long flights. “One every hour, on the hour” proved to be precious advice and kept us energised and virus-free. So when I was asked to review the new Californian vitamin mix drink Emergen-C , I jumped at the opportunity. We were generously sent a mixture of the Super Orange and the Juicy Strawberry effervescent drinks which I put to use almost …

I support Ashers…AND gay “rights”

If you follow us on Instagram, you’d have noticed that for the past couple of Saturdays the   little girl and I have enjoyed beautiful breakfasts at Ashers, a local bakeshop. And just in case you missed our pictures, here is what I am talking about 🙂 : The pancakes are freshly made, the bacon is beautifully flavoursome and the coffee is generously provided. AND everything is reasonably priced as well. If you live in Northern Ireland, you’d know that Ashers have been in the news lately over what the press has come to call “the gay marriage cake row.“ Did I start supporting Ashers because of the row? Yes and no. Yes, I went in to try their products last week and I was pleasantly surprised by the quality and the friendly service. Do I continue to go because I want to make a political or human right statement? NO. I go because I love their food and I think they should stay in business on account of the quality of their services. I also …

Music to her ears

Emma has always been a musical child, from when she was a tiny baby girl. We started very early (when she was about 5 months) to attend mums and tots and the local library’s rhythm and rhyme weekly activities. Music has remained a big part of her life, with her asking Santa this year for a guitar and planning on a violin for next year ;-), so I was overjoyed when we were offered the opportunity to review a number of DVDs and CDs from Kids’ Music Shop. I was a bit skeptical when they first arrived as the DVDs included nursery titles like “Twinkle, twinkle little star”, “The wheels on the bus” and “Never smile at a crocodile.” I thought Emma would be a bit too grown up for them but at a closer look, I realised I couldn’t have been more wrong! The DVDs are fun to watch, even for an older child, due to a few key factors: 1. Tony, the artist and singer who features in them is hilarious and looks …

The day I visited with my son

Today I had my first complimentary therapeutic session with Action Cancer. The charity offers wonderful support to cancer sufferers and carers throughout and, very important, after a traumatic cancer diagnosis and treatment. I chose reflexology from the array of complementary therapies the charity offers because I had enjoyed it immensely during an initial session in Daisy Lodge in December. As a stay at home mum I hardly ever give myself permission to rest and relax. So an hour of pampering, of soothing music and of time with myself and my thoughts, in a relaxed and safe environment, is priceless. This is the second time I visualise visiting with Georgie during reflexology. In December, I was emotionally exhausted and feeling extremely frazzled during my reflexology session so my tears were carried into my visiting times with him. But today….Today was beautiful. I saw my baby boy inundated in sunshine, in a green and lush field. It was spring time and there were daffodils everywhere. Every time I imagine my boy I imagine him running happily and …