6 Things Every Mom Should Add to Their Bucket List

February 10, 2023February 10, 2023 JayneLeave a comment

When you get a child, you suddenly realize how quickly time passes. We’re completely confused during the first few years of a baby’s life. We believe things will get better as the child grows up, but age only brings new challenges.

Whatever the case, this prevents us from trying things we’ve always wanted to try. At one point, you have to hit the brakes, create a bucket list, and experience life’s small pleasures.

In this article, we talk about a few cool things every mommy should add to her bucket list. Now, we’re not necessarily telling you to charter a private jet (although that would be cool!), but you should definitely invest in some of these experiences.

1. Skydiving

Many people never have the pleasure of skydiving. It’s one of those activities that are very hard to describe with words. The whole experience is cathartic, allowing you to put all your worries aside, even if only for a minute.

No matter where you live, there’s probably some small, local airport where companies organize skydiving. You just have to call one week ahead to book the jump and shell out a few hundred dollars. But trust us when we say this experience is well worth the money.

2. Scuba diving/snorkeling

Staying on the topic of diving, you should try scuba diving or snorkeling. The choice between these two will vary based on your risk adversity. Snorkeling is much easier and doesn’t require much preparation. It’s a fantastic opportunity to experience marine wildlife in its natural habitat.

Scuba diving is for adventurous types, and some people find the concept scary. However, despite what some might think, it’s an extremely safe activity. You’ll have assistance at all times, and if you ever feel uncomfortable, you can just bail.

3. Marathon

Marathon is a testament to the human spirit. Just about anyone can join this race and enjoy it with a bunch of other families that decided to spend their day outside.

The great thing about public marathons is that there are no prerequisites. You can run as much as you like, even if it’s for 10 to 15 minutes. After that, you can hit the local ice cream store and take a breather.

The cool thing about this activity is that it’s tailor-made for families. In fact, if you live in a big city, there’s a good chance that the local authorities will organize one such event every year. Alternatively, you can drive with the family to the nearby place that organizes the event, making it a fun weekend trip.

4. Outdoor camping

Here’s another activity that involves the whole family and is perfect for mommies. You can take your kids and partner to the nearby nature park if you’re an outdoor type. Spend the night under the stars and finally leave your PC and phone behind.

Not only is outdoor camping great for unwinding, but it also allows you the chance to communicate with family members. We’re often too busy to socialize with the closest ones, which is a real shame. However, during this adventure, you’ll have the time to bond properly.

5. Chocolate factory

Of course, not everyone likes running, diving, and the great outdoors. Some would much rather lie down on the beach and relax. We can’t blame them; being a mommy is hard work!

So, why don’t you book a visit to the chocolate factory? That’s every person’s dream, and we bet your kids will also enjoy it. Keep in mind that this kind of organized visit involves much more than simply looking at heavy machinery. There’s also degustation where you can taste all the locally-produced goodies.

Of course, if you’re not that much into chocolate, you can always visit a wine factory!

6. Live in Europe

Many US citizens never leave the Americas. They might travel to Cancun or someplace in the Pacific during the summer vacation, but that’s about that. This is a real shame because every person should visit Europe once in their lifetime.

Furthermore, we suggest that you not only visit Europe but live in one of its beautiful cities. Take a hiatus for a few months, and rent an apartment in Paris, Madrid, or Rome.

Most European capitals have a rich history, numerous museums, and various other attractions. So, even if you’re there for a month, there’s a good chance you won’t see everything. Even when you’re old and gray, you’ll never forget this visit!

Why Wait til Retirement to Live Your Dream Life?

January 19, 2022March 4, 2022 JayneLeave a comment

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 →

Lifestyle

Psychics Who Solved Crimes

June 3, 2020September 5, 2021 Jayne3 Comments

There are many psychics that have visions and even though this happens to them, it is a mystery and it is hard for anyone to validate it but the truth is that if you could find closure in your life, chances are you would believe this phenomenon.

There have been years that psychics have given tips to investigators and some cases have been resolved, leaving police to question what psychics really know. Some families have been given the opportunity to have peace of mind.

The public has criticized psychic works for years and their visions and this never can be used in court as evidence. Psychics have not ever been credited with solving crimes but some mysterious show that psychic have seen visions and have helped to figure out who the murderer was in some shocking crimes. You wonder why police don’t use psychics more often. You can find a full list of online psychics at Juneau Empire.

Here are some psychics that have helped to solve crimes:

Kristy Robinett

Kristy Robinett has been a medium for years and she has communicated with spirits that are still wondering the earth. She became involved in crime where a young lady was involved and had appeared at her bedside while she was sleeping.

Ashley Howley, 21 years of age, had disappeared in Ohio and had been missing for four years when Kristy got a vision of the dead girl. She was able to track down the police and give the information that she got from the spirit.

She told the police that Ashley had been murdered and kidnapped by her boyfriend, Robert MacMichael II and then she directed them to the place where she was buried.

The cops had information and thought the boyfriend was involved but they needed to wait for more evidence. That happened later when he was arrested for murdering his mother and her boyfriend. He told the police where Ashley was buried as part of a plea deal.

The reason that Ashley visited her in the first place was so that she could be put the rest.

Irene Hughes

Irene Hughes had predicted many different things in Chicago and helped the police to solve many crimes. In 1966, she helped the police solve a crime. She had predicted that a man was buried by a large rock that was close to the Cal-Sag Canal and he had been shot. She told them that he was wearing a white shirt and only had one shoe.

Lt. Jerry Harmon who was part of the Cook County Sherriff Department was found just like she predicted he would be. She also helped to work on eight cases including one where she was able to give the name of the killer.

When she would help with the investigations, she would ask them to give her a picture of the victim and maybe clothing or other things that she would meditate with.

Annette Martin

Annette Martin did not want to be psychic but wanted to sing opera. She would use her abilities to help find missing people for over 20 years and one of her most famous was when she helped to find the body of Dennis Prado. He was an elderly man who had disappeared from his home. He had been missing and people looked over 2,000 miles in California and it was no luck.

The local police gave Annette a picture and asked her to see if she could find the area that he was in. She focused on the map and then gave the police an area that was around 1/8 of a mile to search in. At first, they weren’t sure if they believed what she said but they did find Mr. Prado’s body right where she said. The police were surprised. She helped with many other cases.

Laurie McQuary

A mother that was twenty-eight years old form Oregon was reported to be missing by her husband, John Burke. She had been missing for three days. Mr. Burke’s reactions weren’t what the police thought they should be and for months they searched for her with no luck.

The police contacted McQuarty and she was able to figure out that their marriage was troubled and that they had fights over finances and because he was lazy. She was able to see John strangling Alexis and then his brother helped him to get rid of the body.

McQuary showed different points about the murder and her burial and they probed to be correct. They found her body only 75 yards from where John worked, and he was convicted and served thirteen years in jail. His brother was convicted but in exchange for no jail time he told where the body was.

Without McQuary, they would never have found the body or been able to give the family closure.

Dorothy Allison

Dorothy Allison was able to predict many things. She worked for over 30 years to help those that needed help finding children. She helped to locate 50 different children before 1999, when she died.

She would dream of where the bodies were located and help the police to find where to look for them. She even was able to help to find a boy that drowned, and he had his shoes on the wrong foot. She was able to describe him and to give an exact location where his body would be found.

Later, she was able to find a girl that was found in a barrel that had a label on it that said, “MAR.” She predicted the girl was found for two years before they found her.

Her tips helped many people to have closure in their life.

Carol Pate

A mother was looking for her 17-year-old son, Tyson Efird, who went missing at a food center in Malvern, Alaska. He disappeared on November 14, 1991 and there were no leads. His mother came to Pate and gave her a picture and Pate was able to find a connection that lead to the boy. She saw visions of him being abused both sexually and physically and what the people who took him looked like.

She saw that the boy was alive, and it gave the parents hope. She led the police a half of a mile where he was being held as a prisoner in a house and after six days, he was found, and he was returned to his family. Pate’s visions were right on course and she was able to know exactly what happened to him.

The two men that took him were arrested and given three live sentences for rape and kidnapping.

Etta Louise Smith

Even though a psychic has visions does not mean that people will listen. Smith had visions that led her to the body of Melanie Urbe who was a nurse that had not shown up for work. She was 31 and Smith saw a vision that the corpse was nude except for her nurse shoes and that she was facing down in a bush.

The police flagged down Smith and even after she told them what she saw the police came back and questioned her. She was able to tell so much detail in the story that the police thought she was the one that murdered Urbe and arrested her. She spent four days in jail until the police caught the real killers.

Smith sued the police and won a settlement for a wrongful arrest.

Phil Jordan

Phil Jordan was able to help find Tommy Kennedy who was five years old and had a tantrum and then ran away from his family. He was not able to be found and the family was panicking. The police came and searched, and they were very desperate to find him.

Phil Jordan was contacted to see if he could have a vision and he saw the boy by the pool, but he believed he was alive. Jordan was given the boys t-shirt and he could see the boy sleeping under a tree and was able to draw out where the boy was. He was found by a small house close to a boat. The family went to the exact place where the boy was and they found him, dirty but he was safe.

Jordan was then made a deputy by the Tioga County Sherriff’s department and he helped with many other cases.

Nancy Weber

A lady was found raped and murdered in her apartment and the DNA was not able to help the family or the police to find the guy guilty

When they called Weber, she met with the sister at the scene of the crime and she was able to give them clues that would help solve the case. She was able to tell the detectives that the neighbor who was upstairs and had a belt that had a western buckle on it and a scar was the one that attacked Cornish. She was also able to tell the right date and time of the murder.

The police took this information and they went to the neighbor and questioned him again and they were able to get a confession and he was convicted to life in prison.

The murder of Cornish was just one of the cases the Nancy Weber helped the police with, and she was given a badge for her service.

Rosemarie Kerr

Andre Daigle disappeared from his home in New Orleans and the sister was not able to figure out where he was. He was last seen near a poll hall around closing time and he offered a girl a ride home in his truck. He never made it back to his family and they were worried about him.

They contacted Rosemarie Kerr and gave her a photo of a map of the area. She was drawn to an area that was 30 miles outside of New Orleans and told them to go there.

The police went to the town and found Daigle’s truck that was being driven by two men that admitted that they had killed him because he picked up one of their girlfriends. He was strangled and dumped into a swam.

Kerr took the stand at the trial and helped to solve the murder.

Lifestyle

How Unique Are You?

September 20, 2017 JayneLeave a comment

Me? Probably not very unique at all, to be honest. Blue eyes, mousy hair – I’m pretty ten a penny! My kids, on the other hand? A LOT more unique than me! Sausage has red hair, the least common hair colour in the world, and she’s super proud of it, too – our little Viking! BB not only has green eyes, she’s also got segmental heterochromia, making her a special little mutant – only 1% of the whole world has this genetic mutation.

Roulette Online have put together some fun research into people’s uniqueness and shared it with us in this fun infographic:

View Interactive Version
(via Roulette Online).

How unique are you?

Health · Lifestyle

The Advances In Vaping

September 11, 2017September 11, 2017 Jayne14 Comments

Electronic cigarettes are always evolving and entering new phases in development. They have come on a long way since they first became popular in 2004.

Like everything else in our lives, from mobile phones to auto-mobiles, e-cigarettes have a beginning, a rise, and a future. In this post, we will delve back in time and take a look at how the e-cigarette came into being, how it struggled to gain a foothold in an era where smoking was cool, and how it looks to develop in the future.

The Original

The first electronic cigarette, believe it or not, was designed and patented in America by a man named Herbert Gilbert. His concept was to develop a smokeless, non-tobacco cigarette, to replace the process of burning tobacco and paper with heated, moist flavoured air. Although the patent was granted, and several prototypes were manufactured, the device failed to catch on. The reasons for this are sketchy, but the most common causes for lack of success are that the devices were cumbersome and heavy, and smoking was in fashion at the time, and its ill effects were not massively publicised. Smoking was literally everywhere – all the Hollywood stars smoked, pubs and restaurants were awash with ashtrays and commercials made the habit all the more mainstream. Electronic cigarettes were up against a brick wall.

The Transformation

A later patent on the more modern design of electronic cigarettes was registered in China, by a innovator called Hon Lik. This design made its way across America and other countries, but only via internet orders – there was no mainstream marketing and investors showed little interest, The fact that somebody could be swayed away from tobacco by such a device seemed a fantasy.

However, the design was to be considered as the fore-runner to the e-cig we know today, although it had to go through several development stages to work as effectively as smokers hoped. Many of the devices we know of today have – somewhat, illegally – copied the original Hon Lik blueprint. Some companies have compensated him for his efforts, but they are far and few between.

Even so, the devices built on Hon Lik’s model failed to impress – by marketing, or by use, nobody can say, for certain.

The Push Forward

Internationally, sales of electronic cigarettes were low. So low, in fact, that their ability to work as a smoking cessation device was somewhat laughable.

It wasn’t until two British entrepreneurs found a way to compact the three part components into a suitable, lightweight size when the industry made its first push forward.

Umer and Tariq Sheikh are, in many ways, the founders of the cartomiser. This small, but important, piece of technology allowed a coil and the e-juice to be easily combined and connected to the battery chamber, via a simple screw and lock method. Launched in 2008, it is now the most popular, and original of cig-alike builds, found in establishments across the county, from petrol stations to local shops.

The Market Blast

The major milestone in e-cigarettes came about – arguably – with Joytech’s eGo range of e-cigs, in 2009. These units introduced the 510 threaded connection, allowing for the battery to be unscrewed from the tank and interchanged with other 510 threaded components. They also introduced the firing button, allowing the vaper to activate the battery when wished – the cig-alikes, although still a popular starting point and activated by simply inhaling, just couldn’t offer as much power and as much choice as the eGo series. With the clearomiser becoming a trendy alternative to the cartomiser, all manner of devices were then put into production, from all of the big names we know of today.

Despite the trend beginning to expand around the globe, the big tobacco giants still dismissed the whole concept as a bit of a fad. It wasn’t until vape shops and stalls starting to spring up in every town, everywhere, when the tobacco industry suddenly started to take notice and started to panic. Their natural response was to start manufacturing their own e-cig products. Some of the biggest brands we see advertised and for sale on vaping shelves are sidelined products from the tobacco giants.

When one stops to think about this, they can only come to the conclusion that vaping is here to stay, and smoking is now the fad, that will slowly fade away.

Today And Beyond

E-cig technology is now branching out in all directions, catering for every vapers personal taste and style. An e-cig, to a vaper, is just as much a part of their life, and their person, as their mobile phone. The two piece cig-alikes are now available nearly everywhere, and are helping many smokers ditch their habit. The higher end devices can be customised in all manner of ways, giving the vaper the opportunity to give their e-cig its own character and boldness. Coils are being pushed to their limits, allowing for sub-ohm vaping to be utilised, creating mass amounts of cloud in return. Mods and coils can be built from the ground up, making a whole new arena in e-cig use and vaping as a whole.

We really can’t hazard a guess as to what the future holds for e-cigs. We know that smoking is on the decline, and we know that vaping is on the rise. With the industry exploding in every direction imaginable, the future of vaping looks to be on solid and stable ground.