Happiness · Health

Five Benefits of Invisible Hearing Aids

Five Benefits of Invisible Hearing Aids

Photo by Franco Antonio Giovanella on Unsplash

Whether you’ve had issues with your hearing for some time or have recently noticed a decline in your hearing, you may be considering the use of a hearing aid to help. When I was a kid, my Grandad always had hearing aids which were made of some sort of beige plastic and were quite apparent. These days, however, hearing aids can be almost invisible, meaning you can use a device without needing to feel self conscious. With this in mind, here are five benefits to opting for invisible hearing aids:

Continue reading “Five Benefits of Invisible Hearing Aids”
Happiness · Health

Things to Do to Start the Day Right

Things to Do to Start the Day Right

Photo by Vecislavas Popa from Pexels

Waking up at 6:00 every morning for work can be draining. You lay down on your bed checking social media for an hour, rush or even skip eating breakfast, and then get dressed for work. This is the reality for most of the working population today. Although it is the norm, it should be something that people should aim to avoid. Starting the day waking up on the wrong side of the bed can put you in a bad mood for the rest of the day. This is why instilling habits that prevent this is important.

Continue reading “Things to Do to Start the Day Right”
Happiness · Life · Lifestyle

Why Wait til Retirement to Live Your Dream Life?

Why Wait til Retirement to Live Your Dream Life?
Photo by Ryan Grice on Unsplash

I’ve written before about my Nan and Grandad on my Dad’s side, who lived and worked in London and Essex for most of their lives and then moved to Lowestoft to enjoy their retirement by the seaside. They both worked hard their whole lives to enjoy a little slice of the quiet life in their old age, but if the pandemic has taught us anything it’s that life can be short and we should be embracing everything we can while we still can.

Continue reading “Why Wait til Retirement to Live Your Dream Life?”
Christmas · Happiness · Kids · Learning · Music

Christmas Fun with Casio

As you’ll know, if you saw any of my posts on here or on social media, we’ve recently partnered with Casio to review their LK-S250 Home Learning Kit, which comes with an electric keyboard and everything else that BB needs to start learning to play. The kit also gives you access to online lessons which are designed to get even the most basic of beginners playing their instrument, which is a fantastic resource to have access to.

Casio LK-S250 Home Learning Kit

LK-250 Home Learning Kit

  • Touch sensitive, lighted keys
  • Power adapter
  • Adjustable height keyboard stand
  • Headphones for silent practice
  • FREE online lessons worth £49.99

While I’m not exactly fluent on any instrument myself, I do know quite a few of the basics, having grown up in quite a musical family, so I’ve been assisting BB with her learning as much as I can. She’s an incredibly capable little girl, but she lacks a bit of confidence in her own abilities at times, so sometimes she just wants someone with her while she navigates the lessons, which is totally understandable.

Unfiortunately, about three weeks ago I slammed my finger in the car door (as in, the door FULLY closed and I had to open it again to release my poor mangled finger 😱) and broke it. It was my left hand (I’m right handed) which was slightly better but as it was my index finger, it’s really limited how much I’ve been able to do. Fortunately, the splint is mostly off now and I can get back to helping BB with her lessons a bit more, but it was a painful couple of weeks.

My poor broken finger (ignore the tatty nail polish, please!)

Now that the girls are homeschooled, we try to keep as much creative stuff flowing as we can so that their lessons aren’t all strictly academic, so music and art lessons have become a regular thing. Sausage has her own keyboard already, so between the Gigajam lessons and some YouTube tutorials, the girls have been jamming together.

Last week, we decided that all of their homeschool lessons would be fun stuff, just like they’d be doing if they were in a mainstream school, and one of the things we decided to do was get them to learn some Christmas songs so that they could perform a mini concert for us, to get us all in the festive spirit. They learned to play Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, The Christmas Song and Jingle Bells, all in the space of two days and they’ve been practising them regularly, ever since.

Learning with the LK-S250 Home Learning Kit

We’re planning to have the carol concert on Christmas Eve and I’ve also got a surprise lined up for them – I’ve bought a chocolate fountain and we’re going to have a little buffet of things to dip in the melted chocolate to enjoy together after the concert. I’m really excited as I love nothing more than surprising them. When we collected Maureen from my breeder friend, we told them we were collecting a parcel and they had no idea we were getting a puppy until they were standing in a living room full of 10 week old dogs!

Anyway, I digress…

I’ll be recording the concert, for posterity, and also for the ‘gram so make sure to keep an eye on our social media if you want to see the girls performing their songs. In the meantime, I hope you all have a very merry, stress-free, COVID-free festive period and thanks again to Casio for working with us on this collaboration.

There’s still time to get your hands on a Casio LK-S250 Home Learning Kit, if you order within the next 24 hours! It’s got everything you need to start learning the keyboard and it’s only £249, which is truly an absolute bargain.

Gift Ideas · Happiness

Princess Cut Diamonds, All You Need To Know

PRINCESS CUT DIAMONDS, ALL YOU NEED TO KNOWPrincess cut diamonds are as romantic and dreamy as their name suggests. They have been very popular for they are classic and have a sparkly look that is very attractive to the naked eye. Princess cut diamonds feature an inverted pyramid with a square side and four oblique sides that allow for a brilliant sparkle because of the many facets they have. If you ultimately decide on getting a princess cut diamond or moissanites, here are some practical considerations to take into account.

  • Price: Princess cut engagement rings are less expensive compared to their round cut counterparts because there is less wastage in the creation of these diamonds. This is a great quality to look for especially if you are working on a tight budget.
  • Astounding Design: The square classic shape of a princess cut diamond makes it a very extraordinary engagement ring. They are considered to be a modern shape which is mostly preferred. This element makes it easier for the princess cut diamonds to be incorporated into different settings and styles which give you a lot of designs to choose from.
  • Clarity: A princess cut diamond is almost similar to the round cut as it is a decent hider of the inclusions. Recommended clarity on this diamond is a VS2 or SI1 which should be confirmed clean to the naked eye.
  • Durability: Princess cut diamonds fall short when it comes to this quality, compared to the round ones. This is caused by the square-shaped outlook that can easily chip hence the need to always protect it with prongs. Even though the round diamonds are likely to chip, they do not have a weak point as it is with the princess cut diamonds.

Princess cut diamonds or moissanites are quite versatile, here are some of the stunning options you can have;

  1. Solitaire: A princess cut solitaire can be placed parallel to the ring band. It is held securely by prongs so that it doesn’t fall off.
  2. Chanel set: Here the stones are set into a band itself rather than be held by prongs. Because the stones are square, they are aligned close to each other without any gaps bringing out a shimmery diamond fire.
  3. Three stone design: Princess cut diamonds are set with other gemstones for added brilliance. This frequency features only three stones using small variations of princess cut diamonds, emeralds, or even baguettes.
  4. Diamond with other stones: A princess cut diamond can be used as the center stone accentuated with other gemstones like sapphires, rubies, and amethysts.

Wrapping up, the above features are all you need to know about princess cut diamond engagement rings. This being a great decision to make, just don’t rush it. Availability of great designs and awesome settings, engagement ring shopping can seem overwhelming. Don’t panic, we are here to guide you in making the right decision and choosing an emblem to share with future generations. Trust your gut feeling and all other things will flow.