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Insure With Max: The Insurance I Wish We Had for Georgie

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I have meant to write about the subject for a long time but I never found the right time and occasion. Insurance for children, such a scary thought, yet something that could come in so handy if anything was to ever happen to them!

Back in 2014, when we had Georgie, we as a family had a basic health insurance which would have covered all of us in the event of serious illness. But the likelihood of illness clashed stringently with the joy of having a newborn in the house, and the added financial stress lead Alex to temporarily cancel it, within weeks of Georgie being born. Who thinks of illness, life-threatening conditions and death when they have just been handed this beautiful, new bundle of joy? We certainly didn’t and cancelling our health insurance seemed like a good idea, as it allowed some extra cash for those newborn nappies and cute little outfits…

Fast forward three and a half months to the moment we found ourselves, with the same wonderful bundle of joy, on the children’s cancer ward in Belfast. Our world came crashing down, in every single way. Unfortunately, our finances suffered severely as well and it was only due to Alex’s sheer determination and hard work and financial gifts from various friends that we didn’t end in deep financial arrears.

Had we kept our insurance, we would have been able to claim against our policy, from day one on that ward.

And this is the very reason I decided to write this post.

We now know that horrid things can happen to innocent children. Illness, accidents and even death can rob us of our children and in the process, not only drain every ounce of energy we have but also drain our bank accounts of every single penny we have saved. Cause in those desperate moments, we would give everything we have, even our lives, to make our ill children comfortable and pay for a cure, if there is any!

After Georgie’s death, we have been very careful and have set health and life insurance policies for all of us. And now, I am writing this post to urge all my readers to consider the unthinkable and the uncomfortable and set up a policy for the scary possibility of a child becoming severely ill or being involved in a serious accident.

Insure With Max was set by a wonderful man who knows the reality of serious illness in children as well as we do. His younger sister suffered for many years from a serious condition which ultimately lead to her death, but in the process, his family was deeply affected financially and in every other single way, just like ours was in 2014.

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Unlike other insurances out there, Insure With Max caters exclusively for the case of an ill or seriously injured child, provides the parent with their take home salary within 30 days of a diagnosis for up to 12 months and renews annually, so no monthly fees or life long commitments to an expensive policy.  Your actual premium will depend on the amount of your take home salary and the number and age of your children, subject to a minimum single premium £49.28 (incl. IPT) for a 12 month policy.

I would wholeheartedly recommend this insurance to every parent out there. It is inexpensive and flexible but most importantly, it can provide with that much needed financial reassurance in the case of illness or accident, allowing you in those tragic circumstances to take time off to look after your precious child, instead of desperately trying to make ends while your heart and soul are in a hospital room.

Alongside a prestigious group of mummy bloggers, I will be hosting a Twitter chat on Friday, 1st of July, between 11:15 a.m. and 12:00. Look us up under the hashtag #ChildMax and come and learn more about Insure With Max.

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Keeping Children Hydrated During the Summer

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BritMums recently invited a number of bloggers to engage in their #EnjoyMoreWater Challenge as part of the Robinsons campaign and come up with ways to to keep our children well hydrated over the warm summer months.

I decided to approach this assignment as a research, and was shocked by the number of things I did not know when it comes to hydration in children!

1.Children need more water per body mass during the day than adults because they move more than we do. The recommended daily intake for a child is 6-8 glasses of liquid per day but this need increases when the weather is hot! Children can be especially prone to dehydration since they are often active, easily distracted and forget to drink. By the time they say they are thirsty, dehydration has already begun. Irritability and poor concentration are two common indicators. My tip would be to ensure children always have easy access to a cool drink everywhere they are, be in in the back garden, the car or out and about.

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2. Children grow at a faster pace in the summer versus the winter adding to their hydration needs which will be greater any way in hotter temperatures. Especially when away on holidays in hotter climates, children should always wear sun cream, sun hats and never be in the sunshine during the peak hours, between 11 and 17. My tip is to follow the locals’ lead when on holidays and make use of the wonderful fresh fruit available everywhere. Fruit contains not only vitamins and minerals essential for our health but summer fruit like watermelon and strawberries are rich in water and can keep the children hydrated naturally as well. Make sure children eat at least five small cups of fruits and vegetables per day, as they all contain various levels of water and the all-important nutrient potassium.

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3. According to an article written for Live Science by Katherine Tallmadge, a registered dietitian, when exercising in extreme heat for more than an hour (which our children do unawares, when having fun in the sun, especially on holidays to warmer climates!),water intake needs to be supplemented by drinks which are high in potassium (like orange juice), to prevent high sodium losses. According to Doctor Tallmadge, dilute juices are a great option, as they allow the electrolytes and water to quickly reach your heart and organs.

Robinsons Squash’d drinks, in their new and very handy squeezy formula and with their two new exciting flavours, Orange&Peach and Lemon&Pink Grapefruit(my favourite!), fit the bill perfectly, even for taking away on holidays! We have received six samples which will definitely come with us to Greece this year and keep not only Emma, but also Alex and myself, well hydrated over our summer holidays.

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Disclosure: This post is an entry for BritMums #EnjoyMoreWater Challenge, sponsored by Robinsons.

Father’s Day with Scruffs

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Happy fathers day background

Emma’s has become more aware of special days as the years have clocked by so this year, she really wanted to get her daddy something special!

We had already got lunch booked to celebrate Father’s Day but she also wanted to give him something more than a card for the occasion so when Scruffs agreed to collaborate with us again, for a third time, I knew we would have the perfect present to give Alex on the day!

Alex loves all his Scruffs gear he has accumulated over the last year. You can read about his winter jacket here and about his spring one here.

This time, knowing that Alex’s jeans always end up ripping when out working, we decided to go for a pair of work jeans, to begin with.

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I was amazed at the quality of this pair as well as the totally reasonable pricing(£34.95) . The jeans come with loads of pockets, all so very handy for busy working hands and knee pads for ground level work. They look amazing, not at all like your average work trousers, and can easily be worn after work for dinner, on condition that they are not too grubby, lol. I love the colour and I will definitely go back and get another pair for Alex when this first one wears out!

The second item we chose for Alex is a classic rucksack. Again, you get so much for your £24.95! “Functional work bag made from water resistant fabric with built in boot compartment, cool bag and laptop sleeve. EVA padding to the straps and back provides maximum comfort when carried. Packed with internal and external secure storage for all of your accessories. “

I love its colour, its perfect size and its functionality. Alex can easily take it with him and transition with it from doing surveys into an office environment and even use it at the gym. The various compartments and pockets allow him to pack for a long day and the thermo-isolated front pocket allows for food to stay fresh even during a warm day!

 

I loved working with Scruffs again on this occasion, they are a lovely, young company that provide great quality work gear at excellent prices and once again, I do recommend them wholeheartedly!

Disclosure: Alex was sent the two items above in exchange for this review.

Silence, new employment and moving on

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I have been busy and my blog has been graveyard-quiet, for the past month. I cannot actually believe that almost 30 days have been ticked off the calendar and our lives so very quickly!

The month has brought a lot of changes for us as a family. I found a new job(hurray!), Alex has been to Greece for a short spell and Emma has gained a new friend through my employment. Due to its nature, I will keep the details of my new job private on the blog, but it is going well and everybody involved has been working hard at adjusting and adapting to new routines and patterns.

The blog has subsequently suffered but I am back with great news regarding my blogging “career”, so to say. The lovely ladies at BritMums Live have invited me to read one of my grief blog posts at the conference as a keynote blogger. I haven’t had much time to give it a lot of thought but at the end of June hundreds of bloggers attending this year’s BritMums Live will hear about Georgie and the devastation his loss left in our lives. But more importantly, all of those bloggers, many of whom I count as friends now, will all HEAR about my precious boy, isn’t that so amazing?

In spite of my silence a number of brilliant brands have approached me in May and I have a few product review posts in the pipeline as well, do keep an eye on all the great stuff we have been trying this month!

Anyway, time to dash, do leave a line to say how you have been yourselves this past month and chat soon!

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New Resources to Support Bereaved Children

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As you well know now, if you follow my blog, I am no longer able to watch a movie or read a book without putting it through the grief perspective.

Recently, two children’s programs, the first, a new movie entitled Beyond Beyond and the other a book written by LeVar Burton, from Reading Rainbows, caught my attention as valuable resources that could help bereaved children in comprehending their grief and seeking support in ways that are appropriate and safe.

I shall start with The Rhino Who Swallowed A Storm, by LeVar Burton, since he is such a favourite with Emma!

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Emma has been a subscriber to Reading Rainbows for a couple of years now and absolutely loves the wide range of educational videos they provide. Since she is an emergent reader, she has found the Read to me feature of the thousands of books on offer truly helpful and this is how I got to hear the story read by LeVar myself:

The book is about a Rhino and his beautiful world in which “magic turns tragic“. A huge storm destroys the valley in which he lives, much like grief destroys the world of a child and its innocence and safety when it hits. “Senseless calamity” tears through his world and takes away EVERYTHING he held dear. (Oh, how much I can identify with those words and my latest blog post for BritMums reflects just that sense of bewilderment and loss we feel, two years on!)

Rhino is left stunned by the scene, “death and destruction all through the ravine” and enraged by the scene, he does the unthinkable, he actually goes and swallows the storm!

Instead of being able to contain it, Rhino finds himself deeply affected by the inward storm of emotions and when the storm stops raging inside him, he finds himself at the bottom “of a very deep hole.”

“Lost, lonely and in such a dark place”, his help unexpectedly comes from a tiny spider, who comes down into his hole with clear guidance and encouragement:

“You must find a way to let that storm out and move through your sorrow,

You will find many helpers on your road to tomorrow.”

The Rhino tries to climb out but the Hole is steep and slippery and it is only with the help of his friends that he manages to get back up.

“When help is needed, we’ll pull you through it.”

Strengthened by the reassurance of their love and support, the newly freed Rhino sets on a quest but the storm still raging inside him makes things difficult, keeping his brain foggy and making him worry about many things:

“Where do I go, what do I do?

How will I ever make it through?”

“After every dark night, there comes a new day,

Be kind, do your best and you’ll find your way” advise friends.

“Allowing yourself to feel those feelings

Is the first step towards healing” a wise tortoise tells him.

 As Rhino starts letting go of “raindrops from his eye” and has a good cry, he finds himself feeling lighter than he had felt in ages. His tears take him on a journey of their own now, towards the ocean, where he is advised by a Whale not to be afraid of his pain and sing it out, as a way of release.

Allowing his emotions to emerge leave Rhino feeling “calm, strong and brave”. His vision, no longer obliterated by rage, reveals now a world filled with love. He emerges on the other side full of gratitude to his loving friends and strong in their reassurance and support for the future.

With “faith in himself and faith in his friends” he can not dream of a world that is safe and connected.

“It was love that mattered.

Love can never be lost, love can never be shattered.”

I love this book, as much as Emma does, as it holds so much truth and provides such precious guidance to a bereaved child. Reaching out for help, trusting those who offer support and guidance, making sense of life after loss, it is all there and in clear and easy details a child can grasp and hold on to!

If LeVar’s book offers clear guidance to a child struggling with their emotions and ways to process grief, Beyond Beyond offers an explanation to all those “whys” a bereaved child has about the afterworld. Based on a traditional Scandinavian tale, Beyond Beyond is a beautifully animated tale for children about coming to terms with the absence of a loved one.

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Jonah the Rabbit, who lost his mother to the mythical Feather King, still cannot come to terms with her loss and attempts to transcend the beyond limits in her search. Jonah finds her but the worlds as they stood, separated as reality and the afterworld, come crumbing down, threatening to take down with them the happy memories.

Emma really took to the bottle messaging idea and wanted to write messages and send them to Georgie afterwards, which we encouraged her to do, as I strongly believe that somehow, her love transcends the time boundaries and can reach Georgie where he is.

I loved the idea of Death as a Feather King, a fragile sort of monarch of the Beyond kingdom whose role is simply keeping the order of things as they stand. It does reverberate with what I believe that death now has no more power on me, as in it, I will be reunited with my son and the movie reassures children with the same perception, explaining in the same time that their loved ones are well and waiting for them in the Beyond.

I found both resources wonderful in managing Emma’s grief and would recommend them wholeheartedly.

Disclaimer: we were sent the DVD for the purpose of this review. We have been subscribers to Reading Rainbows for ages and love the book and everything about the app and what it has to offer. The post expresses our honest opinions.