Smart Tips To Make Your Home Safer*

Being safe at home should be your priority. Your home is where you go to feel safe and secure. Thus, lacking safety at home means that your home is not fulfilling your security needs. Here are some smart tips for making your home safer. 

Photo by Bernard Hermant on Unsplash

Prevent leaks

Experiencing leaks at home can be scary; if you cannot stop the leak it could cause all kinds of damage to your home. 

To prevent leaks and future water issues make sure you keep on top of the health of your plumbing. For instance, leaving a blocked drain for a few days could result in a flood which can cause structural damages to your home. You can get your blocked drain repaired by an expert and ensure that you combat any future floods and issues. 

CCTV cameras

Using smart technology, you could add cameras and other safety devices to ramp up the security of your home. 

Cameras will ensure that you can keep a close eye on your home at all times, even when you are not in. You can link your cameras up to your phone to watch on your property. These smart devices can detect motion and alert your phone when you are not home. 

Likewise, you can use other camera devices such as smart doorbells which allow you to see who is at the door before you answer. You directly link the doorbell up to your phone so that you can view your porch at any time of day.

Higher fences


Higher fences will heighten the security of your home. It will prevent people from looking in and also deter intruders.

You should try to add high fences to your front and back garden. You will want to increase your privacy and higher fences in the back garden means that fewer neighbours can see into your garden. You can still pick a luxury wood fence, as fences can be functional and look good too.

Secure your wifi

Your wifi could be tampered with by outside passersby or hackers. It is rare but it can happen. If a hacker can enter your wifi network they may make your data and private documents vulnerable. 

Securing your wifi with a specific name and strong password will ensure that it is less vulnerable to hackers. 

Empty your mailbox

If you have a mailbox in your front garden and often worry that passersby could open it and take your mail, then you should make sure you empty it as often as possible. The letters inside could include important and private information as well as personal data.

Should you be away for a long period or on holiday ask your neighbours to keep an eye on the mailbox and ask them to store it safely for you until you return- just make sure to offer to return the favour!

Empty your garbage bins

If you leave lots of smelly rubbish in your bin for too long it could attract insects and animals. These could pose a danger to your pets or small children. 

To prevent this make sure to empty your rubbish bins as often as possible. Putting them on set days so that they can be cleared and cleaned to reduce the number of insects and animals in your home. 

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ModiBodi Maternity*

Where has time gone? All of a sudden it’s basically September, I’m 30+ weeks pregnant, getting married in less than a month and just a few short weeks after that will be mum to a little girl!

For the most part I am super organised with it all, I’m one of those people who micro-manage everything, and whilst it still feels like there is loads to do there really actually isn’t. One area I am definitely not organised with though is packing a hospital bag for both myself and for baby. I haven’t even made a list, I don’t even really know what to take! I might be super on top of things for what baby is going to need, but when it comes to Mum I am clueless. The only thing I have so far are some great little maternity products that I was gifted from cult period pant brand ModiBodi which I was kindly sent, these are sat next to my otherwise empty hospital holdall waiting to be joined by…well…I don’t actually know what yet!

I was sent the Breastfeeding Cami and Maternity Briefs, obviously it’s impossible to give a full review at this stage given that I’m not post-birth, but what I can tell you is how lovely they feel and how comfortable they are to wear.
The Breastfeeding Cami is designed to give comfort and support whilst absorbing up to 25ml of boob leak per cup, making it an more environmentally friendly alternative to disposable breast pads and something I’m planning to use especially in hospital when I want to be packing as little as possible (famous last words!)
You can also wear this pre-birth to deal with any leakage, I’m not quite there yet but I feel like it’s only a matter of time!
Another added bonus is it has an inbuilt sling to assist with one handed feeding; something I will surely find invaluable once Bob goes back to work.

The briefs certainly aren’t sexy, but arguably better looking than the M&S granny pants I’ve been living in of late. Much like the period pants these are designed to deal with bleeding, discharge, bladder leaks etc, the difference being these have a much higher absorbency than the period pants and are cut to suit an ever expanding bump/be comfortable on a post-baby belly. These are so comfortable and I’m definitely going to get a few pairs in stock for those first few weeks especially. I find regular pads uncomfortable so the idea of maternity ones fills me with dread! I also like how secure these feel once on, and whilst pricey they can be used as period pants once things go back to normal too.

It would be a bit extreme to say I’m looking forward to fully testing out these items, although it would mean to wait to meet baby is finally over! I’m just keeping everything crossed she doesn’t decide to make an early appearance at the wedding- or at least until I have my hospital bag packed!

Those who already have children, what were your must haves for your hospital bags? Both for yourself and for baby?

Thanks ModiBodi for giving me a jump-start!

The Hair Boss

I’m definitely guilty of being fickle when it comes to my hair care products and routine. I’m forever picking up new products to try and tame my long, thick hair, but often end up underwhelmed or don’t deem them worthy of the price tag when they aren’t on special offer. It takes quite a lot to impress me and make me want to part with my cash for a repurchase, and today we’re going to see whether The Hair Boss by Lisa Shepherd could convince me.
[Note these products were gifted for blog consideration].

As you can see, it’s a very attractive bunch of products, and they certainly look pretty in my bathroom!
The Hair Boss focuses on a 4-step hair regime and there are several ranges available for all different hair types; you can do a free consultation on the website to find out the perfect four product plan for you.

Because my hair is so thick I am prone to getting a product build up, sometimes leaving me with a flaky scalp, so the products of greatest interest to me were The Scalp Scrub (a pre-treatment) and The Scalp Soothing Tonic, part of the step 4 styling range.
Both of these products were an entirely new concept to me- the scalp scrub is great, it works as a pre-wash exfoliator that you use weekly to rid the scalp product, dirt and oil buildup. It feels a bit odd at first, putting something distinctly grainy on to your head, but you get used to it and the results are well worth it.
The Scalp Soothing Tonic is designed to soothe a dry and itchy scalp by cooling it and rebalancing the PH. I’ve definitely noticed a reduction in the flakiness I was getting since using this, alongside the scrub so both products are well worth the £7.99 price tag and I will at the very least be buying the scrub again when mine runs out.

I was sent the virgin hair shampoo which is designed mainly for natural hair (i.e. un-dyed or only lightly coloured). My hair is not natural but I still have a lot of love for this shampoo. The shampoo makes up Step 2 of the regime- cleanse. It took a while to get used to the runny formula, but once I did I actually found this easier to get through my thick hair and my hair honestly has never felt so clean! At £7.99 this is more than I would usually spend on a shampoo, but a little goes a long way and for the results I’m getting currently I would say it’s worth it.
The same goes for the conditioning lotion, this is such a hydrating formula that leaves my hair feeling oh-so-soft…something that not all conditioners manage to do. As promised on the packaging, it leaves no heavy residue and it rinses out really well. This costs £8.99 and I would most likely part with my money for this again as well.

Finally we have a few finishing touches. The Clear Shine Gloss is a permanent product that lasts for up to 6 washes and helps revitalise coloured hair and give it super shine. I’ve only used this once as it is a 20 minute treatment and I am not that patient most of the time, for that reason I wouldn’t spend £14.99 on this as I don’t feel I would get the use out of it, but the results are genuinely fantastic so for anyone less lazy I 100% recommend for some serious salon effect shine.
A product from the Step 4 style range that I will be buying again is the Permanent shine spray. At £12.99 it’s a lot more than I usually spend but I am in love with this product. It protects against humidity and frizz (both hair enemies of mine) as well as protecting from damage inflicted by styling. This is heat activated so I use it on damp hair before drying and straightening and I’ve been getting so many compliments on how healthy my hair is looking- and only since I started using this so it’s not pregnancy glow!

So there we have it, a range of hair products that has left me wanting more! I genuinely wasn’t expecting to love these so much when they arrived but I am totally smitten. You can buy The Hair Boss products from the website, and it is also stocked on ASOS and Superdrug. There are a few more products I would like to try out so if and when I do I’ll report back. I think after 34 years on this earth I might have finally found a hair care range I feel worthy of staying loyal to! And whilst more than I would usually spend it’s pretty mid-range in terms of prices so not out of the question to buy again and again either.

Panda Sweets sweet box review*

How do you make a tired and slightly grumpy pregnant lady very happy? Easy, you send her a simple brown box and pack it FULL of pick and mix sweets!
I might have been off chocolate during pregnancy (slowly starting to be able to eat this again now, woo hoo!) but sweets have very much been on the menu, especially sour ones, so when Panda Sweets got in touch offering to send me one of their pick and mix sweet boxes to review both myself and my unborn child jumped for joy!

The box contains a massive 1kg of pick and mix sweets for a very reasonable £7.50. From my extensive late night browsing of similar products elsewhere I can tell you this is a really, really good price! The box is full of classic pick and mix favourites, and being the nice person that I am I offered to share with Bob so we could both give our verdict; he’s a real connoisseur of sugary treats.

We both agreed that the variety in the box was spot on, making it perfect for family movie nights, gathering with friends or a gift – or just as a treat to yourself! Being the pregnant one I got first dibs and picked out my favourite rhubarb and custard sweets, more than my fair share of the sour sweets and all of the marshmallows, and between us I think the box only lasted about 24 hours, oops!

We’ll definitely be placing future orders with Panda Sweets, they have us hooked- I’m already compiling a wish list from the liquorice section and I’ll probably treat Bob to another pick and mix box for putting up with my hormonal rages (he’s a saint!)

What’s your favourite sweet? Right now I’m obsessed with starburst (forever Opal Fruits in my heart) and haribo rhubarb and custards. Yum!

Between now and 31/10/21 there you can get 15% off of your Panda Sweets order with my discount code DAISYCHAIN giving you even more reason to treat yo’self!

The Humble Co

These days I think everyone is trying to take steps to be more sustainable, and whilst there are some obvious changes that can be made, there are others that had yet to occur to me, personally. Enter The Humble Co who kindly gifted a selection of their products and opened by eyes to a few more simple steps to a greener lifestyle.

The Humble Co are a health and wellness company founded by dentist Noel Abdayem in 2013. The products the company offer are all designed by dentists and designed in Sweden, meaning top quality in both innovation and design.

I’m not sure why but the idea of a bamboo toothbrush was a strange one to me- surely the bamboo would absorb water and lessen the longevity of the product? So far, I am happily proven wrong.

The Humble Brush is made from 100% biodegradable, sustainably grown bamboo and packaged in eco-friendly packaging. It works as well as, if not better than my usual plastic toothbrush, and I love the aesthetic of this as well (I was sent the PROUD edition), of which I appear to have taken a rubbish photo that doesn’t do the vibrancy justice!

There is also a plant-based version for those who don’t quite get the bamboo appeal. These are made from corn starch based materials and channel a cool monochrome vibe.

The toothpaste tabs took me a little while to get my head around but they are such a good idea when it comes to saving water, and perfect for travelling. Vegan friendly, travel approved, no water waste and approved by dentists, you simply pop one of these in your mouth and brush as usual.

Cotton swabs are an essential in our house, and I suspect even more so with baby on her way. The swabs made by The Humble Co are again made with 100% biodegradable, sustainable Bamboo and cotton with natural colouring on the ends.

I can’t find the face mask on the website to give you exact details but I can tell you this is the comfiest mask I have worn, and it is clearly going to boast good eco-credentials!

You’ll find all of these products available in the UK from stores such as Boots, Holland and Barrett and other shops with a focus on sustainability and health. Also on Amazon. The toothbrushes retail at £3.99, the cotton swabs at £2.99, the toothpaste tablets at around £6.00 and the mask is £3.99. There are plenty of other products from the brand to explore so I will report back on any I try out, and I’d love to hear what steps you are taking to be a little more sustainable.