I’m one of those people who, when presented with an obstacle in life always jumps to the potential negative outcome rather than the positive. Having kicked most of the bad habits in my life, this is one that still stubbornly remains and one I would really, REALLY like to kick before our baby arrives.
Enter the positive day planner (gifted). This little note book is a 21 day (the time it takes to form a new habit) journal that encourages you to practice daily gratitude, spill out the contents of your brain and generally help you turn that mental frown upside down.
I’m always a little bit sceptical of this kind of thing; can putting pen to paper really help all that much? My experience so far says yes, and I’ve only regularly been using this for a few days so far.
I love the layout of the planner, often I find it hard to structure my thoughts so having it ready laid out is ideal and the bold design actually helps keep me focused by drawing my eye back to the page.
The Positive Day Planner was established by Leanne Pero, breast cancer survivor and founder of The Leanne Pero Foundation and Black Women Rising, who used positivitiy and journalling to help her after going through cancer. “I put the Positive Day Planner together after cancer. Writing down what I was grateful for, my hopes and wishes for the future, planning the day ahead really helped settle some of the anxieties. It’s a place where you can create your own happiness, because we are in control of that.“
The Positive Day Planner is available in 5 different styles, including a limited edition Breast Cancer Awareness Month Planner, where 40% of profits go to Breast Cancer Charities.
Each planner costs £10 and makes for the perfect self-care themed gift either for yourself or for a friend/loved one. You can also pick up a mini gratitude journal for £6 (next on my list) plus wish bracelets or healing rose quartz for £3- the entire website is basically a ready made gift package!
I’m so grateful to the positive day planner for stepping in at a time when I actually really needed some guidance, this is a habit I’m definitely hoping to keep!
Box gifted by Degustabox This is a PR box, this means there will sometimes be additional flavours or products than you’d get as a subscriber, I will highlight this within my post.
So the April Degustbox happened to arrive at the peak of my morning sickness/nausea, and the food aversions that have come with pregnancy are very much still present. This means that this isn’t the greatest post you’re gonna read from me, but Bob helped where he could, and we both agreed that this was a top-notch box!
I’d say that this Dorset Cereals nutty granola (rrp £4.15) was one of our favourite products this month. We’re both a big fan of the brand and do treat ourselves when it’s on offer. This is crunchy, sweet breakfast perfection and quite addictive too. Available from major supermarket chains.
So my biggest food aversion at the moment is chocolate…I know right?! So this is one of the products that has so far remained un-tested. I’ve been eagerly anticipating the Aero dark&milk launch so not being able to stomach it is a real downer! I can’t wait to finally be able to demolish this bar- rrp £1 from major supermarket chains. I’ve loved other dark milk chocolate products and I’m excited to see how it works with the Aero texture.
Thankfully spicy, bold flavoured foods are still on the menu! I love Chipotle- it’s great for chicken and fajitas and I also recommend it with sweet potato chunks too. This paste makes it super easy to coat your food with that deep spicy kick- a new pantry staple (£2 from Tesco). We are saving the Bull’s-Eye Habanero Hot Sauce for a BBQ (we had one planned but rain spoilt play) and I’m so excited for the powerful punch this promises. It costs £1.99 from Tesco, Ocado and Morrisons as well as from getmorevits.com and Amazon. I’ve had great experience with this brand before so hold high hopes for this.
I’m so desperate to try these Noodl Plus instant noodles- unfortunately the black colour of the charcoal noodles is enough to send my pregnant belly flipping over so I’m waiting for now but will definitely report back on these as they are right up my alley! I’ve never heard of the brand before but they have me intrigued…£2.50 each from Amazon and Ocado. Jasmine rice is my favourite rice so this limited edition Tilda teriyaki one seemed very appealing until I realised it had water chestnuts in…still, I picked those out, chucked on some chicken and otherwise enjoyed the experience! £1.59 from major supermarket chains.
Another untried product here, I’m not sure how I feel about my vitamins coming from chewing gum! It sounds convenient I suppose but I’ve not actually got my head around testing it yet. Each piece of gum boasts 25% of your daily dose of 10 essential vitamins though which is impressive! £1.50 from getmorevits.com and Amazon.
Dark chocolate orange almond sounds like a flavour match made in heaven right? I passed this KIND bar on to my Grandad who loves them as much as I do and he gave it two thumbs up. I can’t wait to try this for myself when I can face chocolate again. £1.30 from Tesco, Sainsbury’s and Waitrose.
These biscuits were the Degustabox product of the month and are still sat in my kitchen taunting me. I can’t bear for anyone else to try these first so I’m just waiting for that day when I feel like I can eat one, or six to give them a thorough test. I already know they are gonna be good though…McVities know their onions when it comes to biscuits and flavours and chocolate HobNobs are already top of the biscuit tier. £1.59 from major supermarket chains. I am so excited for these!
I’d say these pancakes from Brioche Pasquier were Bob’s product of the month. Individually wrapped in packs of two these were great for him to take on the road with him for work, and equally enjoyed warmed through and served with crispy bacon and loads of maple syrup! £1.65 from Co-Op.
Finally some drinks, and very much his and hers taste test! Bob sampled the Gunna Drinks Ginger Rebel (Ginger Lemonade) as a mixer for rum and thought it was good. It’s less than 5% sugar so has less calories than other soft drinks and is also free from artificial colours and preservatives…£1.50 a can from Amazon, Ocado, Holland & Barrett, Co-op and independent retailers. I really enjoyed the Get More Vits Vitamin D Mango and Passionfruit drink. It came at a time that fluids were very tricky for me but this served ice cold went down so well and gave me some hope that there was a drink out there that wouldn’t make me extra queasy! £1.50 a bottle (and I would have paid three times that at the time!) from most major supermarkets, getmorevits.com and Amazon.
If you’re persuaded to give Degustabox a go (and really, you should) you can claim £3.00 off of your first box (making it just £9.99!) by entering the code XOQGC at the checkout. It’s been a pleasure to work with the brand regularly over the last couple of years and it’s without a doubt something that I will continue to purchase long after our partnership ends. I love the monthly surprise and excitement as well as the chance to discover products I’d otherwise pass up on the supermarket shelves.
