How is it even the end of August and almost back to school time? This year has flown by more than usual, I suppose because everything is just so bloody strange. My head is stuck in March, and yet here we are on the last bank holiday before Christmas.
This month’s Degustabox looked promising from the second I opened it. The products had a back to school/on the go theme and you can see what I made of them by reading on…
Let me know if you’ve tried any of these products and what you thought in the comments, it’s always great to get other people’s thoughts.
If you’re new to Degustabox, it’s a monthly food subscription box that gives you the chance to try new and exciting products on the market whilst providing amazing value for money. On a month by month basis the box costs £12.99 (with a discount for longer subscriptions) but the contents are generally worth far more than this as you can see if you do the maths.
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.
When it comes to cleaning and organising your home you often think about spring being the ideal season to get to work. Of course, spring cleaning is always going to be a thing, but we believe that autumn could be the time for revamping.
In this post, to help inspire you to redesign your home and make it look better than ever we have put together some of our top tips on how to revamp your home for autumn.
Add some autumn colours
Want to bring a touch of autumn to your home? If you do then you can always add in some autumn colours. Cushions, rugs and throws- not only are these all great ways to add colour but they can also add warmth, texture and style too. Something that you will be more than grateful for when you are spending the longer evenings cuddled up at home.
Use it as a chance to declutter
Making over and decorating a room is the ideal time to actually declutter and organise the space too. After all, if you are in a room trying to paint it or moving furniture around, then chances are that you are going to change up the entire space too which means that it might be the ideal time to think about some of the mess.
Also, don’t forget, if you’re likely to make a mess whilst you are decorating, to book a junk collection from a reputable company like www.samedayrubbishremoval.com.au/. They’ll help you to clean up and dispose of your unwanted stuff in a reputable way.
You’ll also need to consider other boring but essential jobs such as prepping the exterior of your house for the colder months and inclement weather. This includes making sure your gutters are clear ahead of winter storms. Again, a reputable company such as Gutter Cleaning Kansas City will ensure the job gets done swiftly and safely.
Create a cosy and intimate feel
Following on from the above, if you are looking at adding warmth to a spot in your home then why not take this one step further and make it a cosy, intimate and inviting place to be? This works really well with a small armchair or reading chair, which will allow you to create a spot that you will want to curl up with a good book and let the world outside pass you by.
Work with lighting
The nights get darker the further into autumn we get, which means that we need to think about our lighting choices at home. Table lamps are great additions during autumn as they bring extra light when you need it most and, best of all, they can also be used to add colour to the room too. You could, if you really like to change things up, invest in a new lamp shade when the autumn comes around, replacing brighter summer colours with more neutral, deeper, autumn shades.
It can be hard work redesigning and making over your home, but we can promise you that it is worth it. There is no better feeling than being able to relax and unwind in your beautifully decorated home. Especially as the weather starts to change and the autumn months really take a hold. Before we know it, we will find ourselves deep in winter and we will need to be able to hide away in our beautifully decorated and made over homes.
Thankfully, many lockdown rules are being relaxed; This means that gyms are back open, pools can be used, and you can meet up with other people. However, these rules could easily change and there are parts of the country still in full-lockdown due to a spike in cases. You might also be in a situation where you don’t want to go out because you’re either at risk or live with people who have a higher risk of catching Covid-19 and suffering serious consequences.
Consequently, many of you are still stuck inside trying to find things to do. It’s been this way since March, and it’s hard to cling to your sanity for that long. Here are some suggestions that can help you remain positive and keep your mind in one piece when stuck indoors:
Make your own alcoholic drink from scratch
You have to get creative if you want to survive the year 2020! Pubs are starting to re-open, but you might hate the idea of being in a confined space with loads of others. So, why don’t you bring some of the same fun to your home by brewing your own alcohol? So many beer-brewing kits and gin-making kits exist nowadays for your pleasure. You can stay at home and come up with your own alcoholic creation. It’s a double-whammy in that you have fun making the drink, then have even more fun drinking it! These things take time so it should also keep you occupied for a few days at least. Think about your favourite alcoholic drinks, then go online and see if you can find a brewing kit for them.
Play around with your car
If you have a car then you’ve got your very own boredom-freeing machine. You can do so many things to a car when you’re stuck at home if you’re brave enough! On a base level, give it a proper clean from inside to out; it may have been years since you cleaned your car like this and it’s a great little passion project to undertake. Then you can start to think about making some other adjustments – like an alloy refurb on the wheels, a new paint job, some different lights etc. Basically you can turn your life into an episode of Pimp My Ride every single day. You’ll be amazed at how many things you can do to a car, and at how fun this can be with a little help from YouTube!
Renovate your home
On the topic of pimping things up, why don’t you renovate your home with a bit of DIY? Most people think home renovations are costly and involve lots of construction work. Truthfully, they don’t have to be like this if you don’t want them to. There are so many DIY renovations you can do on your own with a handful of tools. DIY is always a winner when you’re stuck at home, and you get the benefit of improving your living space at the same time.
You see, keeping your sanity is not as difficult as it seems. Essentially you have to keep yourself occupied and find things to do that last for a long time. Even when life gets back to normal, these are great little projects to undertake when you’re bored on a rainy day inside!
To most people a healthy lifestyle encompasses being physically and mentally balanced. While it’s easy enough to talk about healthy lifestyles, living by the principles can be difficult, but if you want to enjoy the things in life longer following healthy habits should be in your mind no matter your lifestyle, so here are the top ways to achieve that.
Follow a Healthy Diet
For proper growth and development your body needs to feed on a balanced diet. From adults to infants, humans have different nutritional requirements, for instance an infant needs to be fed every four hours each day until they reach an age that permits them to eat solid food. As time goes on they will adapt to the normal three-square meal plan. Teenagers and young adults on the other hand often take their snacks in between their meals to fuel activity and growth. If you want to stay healthy, stick to the following diet guidelines: Eat three times a day- that’s to say take your lunch, breakfast, and supper (dinner). Your dinner doesn’t have to be too heavy. In the evening eating a lot of food will stress your digestive system since you are about to go to bed. A huge chunk of your meals should contain healthy foods such as beans, fruits, veggies, grains, and milk products with low saturated fat, eggs, and fish. You may also want to avoid sugary drinks because they contain excessive amounts of calories. Three square meals won’t suit everyone so you could try six half sized meals/snacks to keep things more regulated throughout the day
2. Stay physically active (exercise)
Healthy living is deeply connected with physical activity. In evolutionary biology the theory of use and disuse of body parts suggests that if you exercise part of your body, it develops better, but if you don’t effectively use a body part, it atrophies (wastes). Physical exercises build your muscle mass, improve your balance and coordination, make you more flexible, and also enhance your endurance. Health wise, exercise also helps decrease your risk of cardiac diseases, diabetes, hypertension, and obesity. Fitness freaks who love to hit the gym to do weightlifting routines build their bone density, this means they also decrease their risks of osteoporosis. Even for older people in their 60s and 70s, there is no excuse to be left out of workout activities. Regular exercises also boost your self-confidence, lowers your stress, and gives you a good mood. If you are someone who has weight issues, that can be a threat to healthy living. Consider doing physical activities such as walking, running, weightlifting, yoga, and swimming, to keep fit and maintain a healthy weight.
3. Say no to negative lifestyles
Excess alcohol, drug abuse and tobacco-smoking are examples of negative lifestyles that can decrease your lifespan. In 2010, tobacco-smoking led to the death of over 443,000 Americans the National Cancer Institute reported. About 90% of male lung cancer-related deaths are caused by smoking, and female deaths account for 80% for the same condition.
Healthy living also means you have to take care of yourself physically and mentally, even in your workplace. For example, if you are a taxi driver you may want to drive carefully and also put measures in place that will not put you in a stressful situation. You can, for example, get a taxi insurance quote for your vehicle for those unforeseen moments.
Healthy living is a broad subject comprising diet, exercise, and other safe practices. The tips above can be of great help if you try them.