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 Happiness Habit with Adbra

Anxiety and overthinking have long been a part of my life, they existed long before any eating disorders took hold and for 15 or so years were controlled largely by a carefully balanced cocktail of medications (with a dash of therapy here and there).
Since the end of the last year I made the decision to come off the majority of medications, knowing we were going to be starting the IVF and being in a much better place generally, I didn’t just want to find pregnancy safe medications, I wanted to use the coping mechanisms I’ve learnt over the years and try to come off as much as possible.
It’s worked, mostly. There was the two weeks where I slept little more than an hour a night (good practice for what is ahead right?), andI am still on an anti-depressant, but everything else is gone and I am surviving.

It’s not always plain sailing though, and recently there have been a few things triggering cycles of overthinking. Thankfully an email arrived from a wonderful company called Adbra at exactly the right time and I’m getting myself right back on track again.

Month of mindfulness jar from Adbra

Adbra are a small company that was founded by Adel and Libby after they faced their own mental health challenges. They decided to use their experiences and research to create toolkits that could help others take control of their mental wellbeing.

As soon as I read this I kind of fell in love with Adel and Libby, they are my kind of people!
They got in touch to introduce their “happiness habits jars” and very kindly sent one out to me, which literally could not have arrived at a better time. There are 7 jars in the range and the one that I was sent was the “mindfulness” themed jar which I have been using religiously ever since.

This little jar has got me back on track so many times, and for £12.50 it’s an absolute bargain. I always used to be so sceptical of this kind of thing, but eventually a couple of years ago decided to stop being stubborn and give it a go and I’ve not looked back!

These jars make a wonderful gift for a friend or family member, or as a self-care investment for yourself. I’m definitely going to look at getting the “self kindness” jar for once baby is here as I think it’s going to be very easy to forget that I need to be a priority too.

What tools do you find help the most when it comes to mental health? I’m a very visually orientated person so this kind of thing is almost certainly guaranteed to be a success over say, a podcast.

The Positivity Habit

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!

How do you help keep yourself focused?

Win a Mother’s Day Bouquet with The Flower Shops*

Flowers gifted by The Flower Shops

Mother’s Day is just around the corner and flowers are always a fail safe gift to show Mum just how much you care, especially when they are as beautiful as the ones I received from The Flower Shops.

The Flower Shops is a family run network of florists all over the UK. They have a dedicated florist in each region of the country, meaning wherever your order is headed it has been expertly selected and crafted just for you.

I was recently sent a bouquet from The Flower Shops to show how the concept works and I was blown away by what I received. I can honestly say this is the nicest bunch of flowers I have ever been sent in my life- so gorgeous presented and carefully packaged meaning there was not a petal out of place when they arrived. I wish we had a better home layout in terms of places to actually stand things to photograph things so that I could have showed these off in their best light, but alas we don’t, but I think you get the picture!

The Flower Shops currently have a competition running for Mother’s Day 2021 where you can win a luxurious bouquet worth £100! It’s super easy to enter and I promise you, whichever Mum gets this will be one happy lady!
You can find all of the information to enter here.

If you’re wondering how to make the best of (another) lockdown Mother’s Day then the company have also put together a guide with some simple ideas of how to celebrate either in person or from afar.

Good luck if you decide to enter, let me know what makes your mum great in the comments (although I wouldn’t know where to start with answering this myself, my mother is an absolute legend!)

Gift Guide/Review: Solid Cologne*

PR sample

I find men so impossible to buy for, so I always tend to seek ideas for them when it comes to browsing and creating gift guides in the hopes of inspiration and to inspire others.
Today’s inspiration comes in the form of this solid cologne from www.solidcologne.co.uk.

Whilst it might not look like much, this little tin packs an almighty punch in the gifting stakes. This is a solid wax-based cologne made with skin friendly ingredients that applies directly on to the skin. It’s designed with travel and busy lifestyles in mind with it’s pocket sized tin and no spill format (and when travel is back on the cards it’s also perfect for taking in your hand luggage).

Bob has been wearing this religiously since it arrived- he’s usually a brand snob when it comes to fragrance, but his other scents haven’t had a look in since this turned up.
This scent, “Alexander”, is one of the brand’s top sellers and we both absolutely love it. It’s rich without being overpowering, with notes of grapefruit, bay leaf and jasmine. It has a woody base of patchouli, oak moss and ambergris, and whilst I have no idea what the latter is, it sure smells good!

This little tin retails for £19.99- now, that may seem pricey but this is going to last forever! A little bit goes a long way, and once applied the scent lasts all day. A great little gift idea for those hard to buy for men, and something we will be making a regular purchase.