Candyfloss & Dreams

Author: Kat Candyfloss

Switching from Glasses to Contact Lenses

Glasses to Contact Lenses

Do you wear contact lenses? It’s not something I’ve ever really considered despite wearing glasses for well over ten years now. I am forever forgetting where I’ve put my glasses or losing them and replacing a pair can cost a small fortune when you’re considering what frames to buy. I do like that glasses can be used as a bit of a fashion statement and there are so many colourful frames now, however, as a parent (who has had her fair share of snapped frames thanks to children) expensive, designer glasses just aren’t really a necessary expense. So, I’ve been considering contact lenses. They’re easy to replace, cheaper to buy and there is a great range of brands to find the best lenses for you.

Focus Dailies All Day Comfort Contact Lenses

Focus Dailies lenses are a great option for me because they’re really affordable, you can, as you would in the opticians, have different strengths for each eye and are daily lenses that provide you with hygienic, healthy vision with zero fuss. A month supply at Vision Direct currently costs £13.49 which is a great, affordable price. There are loads of great reasons to consider buying your Focus Dailies from Vision Direct but I think the next day delivery is one of the best perks. Like I said having children, things are easy to break or go “missing” so knowing I can order, particularly with SMS reordering, the exact amount I need, whenever I need them and not having to wait until the end of the week to receive them, is a huge bonus. Daily lenses also sounds like a great option for me because they are for all day comfort. Focus Dailies lenses in particular are great for those that have dry eyes as they allow more oxygen to get to the eye, have a high water content and are made from super-breathable Nelfilcon A. The flexibility of ordering what and how much you want also makes this a really affordable option in place of high street direct debits and I am all about saving money wherever I can.

Ordering Focus Dailies with Vision Direct

I was so impressed with how easy the website was to use and order. The contact lenses came the next day which was really impressive and came with a months supply of Focus Dailies all day comfort lenses with a small bottle of everclear drops. Each contact lens is in it’s own case and the Focus Dailies are for single daily use as it clearly states on the packaging. Usually when ordering new glasses I have to wait around a week to ten days so having something come so quickly is a real benefit. You can clearly see the prescription on the lid of the lenses so you know which one is for which eye if you need a different prescription for each eye.

Why Switch to Contact Lenses?

There are lots of reasons people might switch to contact lenses, but for me, it’s a case of just popping them in when I wake up and then not having to worry about misplacing them for the rest of the day. I love that I will be able to switch from working at home to the school run without changing glasses and what’s more, not having to buy prescription sunglasses for those rare sunny days. That means I have much more freedom of choice and can choose a pair of sunglasses I really like rather than considering prescription lenses. I do a lot of swimming as well as aqua fit so the best way to protect my contact lenses and prevent irritation is to use a decent pair of swim goggles.

This post is in collaboration with Vision Direct.

June 27, 2018
Books I’ve Been Reading and Listening To

I love to read and I’m trying to make time whilst I’m pregnant as I know I won’t get much time when our baby is here. I’m also very much open to anything you recommend that I might want to read on my Kindle whilst pregnant or perhaps even a few Audiobooks I can give a good listen to. I’ve been mostly reading a lot of pregnancy and birth books but I’ve found time to through in some fiction reads too.

A Court of Thorns and Roses

I’ve now read/listened to all four books that are currently available. I loved the main trilogy but it’s always really great to know what the characters do next which is how it’s been continued. I really like Feyre and how she has grown and changed through the books. I wasn’t sure I’d enjoy the series as I’m not all that sure on Faeries as fantasy books but this was really a great read and I loved it so much. I could read over and over.

Affiliate Link: https://amzn.to/2teGkwW

Caraval

I’m yet to go through the sequel which I’ve heard is so much better than Caraval but it’s been a great listen. I really enjoyed listening to it as it was so different from my usual reads and Audibooks. It’s full of darkness, magic and mystery. It was a lot darker than I thought it would be reading the blurb.

Affiliate Link: https://amzn.to/2JSYJtL

Midnight Jewel

I loved The Glittering Court and I’m so excited to read or listen to The Emerald Sea when that comes out this month however Midnight Jewel really lived up to the first in the trilogy. What I love about this series is how they all take place during the same timeline and so have loads of cross overs but focus on one of the three main characters. This one is about dark and mysterious Mirabelle and is full of pirates, espionage, mystery and a very heated romance. I think Mira is my favourite character of the three because she’s so adventurous and daring.

Affiliate Link: https://amzn.to/2JLNGmZ

Frostblood

I’ve also read Fireblood and really enjoyed both stories. Another one full of magic, war and romance but I really enjoyed listening to it. This is quite similar to A Court of Thorns and Roses. I’ll have to give it another listen I think as it’s been a while.

Affiliate Link: https://amzn.to/2JW0ma6

Truthwitch

Another series where I’ve also picked up the Sequeal, Windwitch. This one is pretty dark in places and I loved listening to the narrator. A really interesting take on a fantasy story.

Affiliate Link – https://amzn.to/2yqDHhF

A Throne of Glass

Another one by Sarah J Maas and a pretty long series. I can’t wait for the next one actually because I want to know how the story will progress. More faeries, assassins, romance and a super fiery heroine. I loved the first book and the story has progressed really well with so many interesting characters.

Affiliate Link: https://amzn.to/2lbjbIi

June 25, 2018
Birth Planning With A Doula

Right at the start of my second trimester I blogged about hiring a Doula and how I felt that was the right decision for me. So far, I have to say, Sophie has been a great emotional support. She has been following me on Instagram, checking in if she notices I’m feeling a bit emotional, takes the time to listen and has been an advocate by text too. She is so welcoming and has been really supportive of our decisions for our birth plan and those first special weeks with our newborn. Thanks to her confidence and support, as well as pointing me in the right direction for positive information allowing me to make informed choices I am feeling really good about my plan for a VBAC and actually, I’m really excited about meeting my baby.

I, of course, have a little anxiety about how things will go but our recent appointment talked through pretty much every possible outcome. Having those ideas and speaking about them has made it really clear in my mind that I feel prepared for most situations. I can’t tell you what having that extra support outside of the NHS has been for me. Having that person to continually talk to about my birth plan and our family has been really, really lovely. I think as well it’s helping my midwife have extra faith in some of the decisions I’ve been making because she knows I’m getting all the information from the right places.

Sophie has recommended books, talked us through what might happen in the event of an emergency c-section, more for Adam’s benefit as obviously this is all new for him, and talked to us about our plan and the types of pain relief I want. She’s helped me talk through so many options for things like how Vitamin K is administered, optimal cord clamping or cord blood donation, what to do with my placenta and all those kind of things. Having someone that has the time to get excited with us and talk about a really personal plan is making me feel excited, safe and comforted. I really feel quite empowered by having her by my side and confident that she will be a great advocate for making my birth plan clear to my midwife during birth. That means Adam can be there for me too without having to make any on the spot decisions without talking them through with someone that also knows what I want. I feel so glad to have two people that can support me and ensure I am listened to.

Some people have asked us why or commented that they wouldn’t want another person in the room with them at the birth, or that their husband might not feel comfortable. It’s a really personal decision when it comes to hiring a Doula but Sophie has been there for both of us, talking to us both, answering any questions that we both have and Adam has been really supportive in my decision. Adam obviously wasn’t at my last birth so he just wants to make sure that no matter what I’m looked after and he is all for anything that I think will make the entire experience better. Hiring a Doula early on in my pregnancy has really made me feel positive and excited about the whole thing and as a result, knowing I have people to speak to about my emotional issues and to help me in times of anxiety as well as making positive informed decisions has been great.

It is a personal choice, of course and if you feel that hiring a doula is not a service you will need for your pregnancy then that is absolutely fine. However, if like me, you had a bit of a hard time of it before or you’re feeling anxious about birth then perhaps speaking to a doula and meeting with one might help you. Most Doula’s will expect a meeting where you can get together and see how you connect with each other. You want someone that is going to work in sync with you for your birth and that will help you make it the best experience for you, whether thats a natural home birth or a planned c-section.

For more pregnancy content please head to my hub post which contains links to all my relevant pregnancy based blog posts. My second High Bmi Pregnancy.

June 21, 2018
Pamper Tips for Pregnant Women

I want a spa weekend! Pregnancy can leave us feeling really drained, tired and a little bit unloved. When you’ve been dealing with months of fatigue, hormones and all your bones and ligaments stretching you deserve a chance to be pampered. I’m currently six months pregnant and I think now is the perfect time for some pampering. I’d love to get away for the weekend on a spa break, there are some brand new London Spa offers on Groupon right now which I am eyeing up! However, as we can’t get away to a spa every weekend there are a few things you can do at home to relax you and make those last few months of pregnancy a little easier, particularly if, like me, you’re heavily pregnant over the summer months!

Create A Spa Bathroom

Do your bathroom up to give it a spa like quality feel. I love having a soak in the bath and even better if it’s empty of clutter, smells like a spa and automatically invites you in. Partner that with a cup of green tea and I know I’ll have a great night sleep that night. You could add in some of your favourite, relaxing essential oils in a diffuser and a few tealights around the room so that you can completely relax in the bath. I love natural and fresh face masks which can help if your skin is affected during pregnancy as hormones often affect our natural oils. Anything to prevent hormonal spots or stop my skin from drying out to much works for me and using natural or fresh face masks I know that the products are going to be safe for my skin during pregnancy. Another great thing to use for those aching muscles or a sore lower back is Epsom salts. They really make bath water feel spa quality and help to relax you. I love using Epsom salts in the bath before bed especially with lavender oil in a burner, it really helps me relax and as a result I have a nice, gentle night sleep – something that is getting harder the futher along in this pregnancy I get!

Have A Spa Retreat Babymoon

If you can get away for a night or two with your partner a relaxing pre-natal or pregnancy package spa retreat could be an ideal way to relax before your new addition makes their appearance. Some hotels offer specific mum to be packages depending on which trimester you’re in so it’s worth having a look to see what’s available. There are some pregnancy massages that can really help you to relax. If the spa does not offer anything pregnancy specific they should be able to talk you through which treatments are suitable for pregnant women. If you’re staying the night a dip in the pool can be very calming and enjoyable, with the feeling of weightlessness, to help relieve the joints. There isn’t much you need to avoid really at the Spa but steam rooms, hot tubs and saunas aren’t suitable. Still, there will be lots on offer suitable for pregnant women and a Spa is just a lovely way to get away from it all, fully relax and get yourself rested before your new arrival.

How would you like to be pampered in pregnancy?

This is a collaborative post

June 19, 2018
Becoming a More Eco Friendly Family

Eco Friendly Family

collaborative post

We want to become a more eco friendly family over the summer! We are quickly approaching the third trimester now and I’m becoming very aware that a new baby in the house is going to mean more waste. As a family going from three to four over the years we will generate more waste and I really want to do my part to try and be a lot more eco friendly. I am hoping to cut down our use of plastics and use more eco friendly products in the house that are more beneficial to us, less toxic and better for the environment too. There are, I’ve found, quite a lot of changes we can make really easily as a family to improve our every day energy output, waste and recycling habits which will hopefully save us money in the long run too. There are loads of extra added benefits to being more eco friendly and cutting down on waste than helping the environment and as a family that has to budget I have to say saving money is one thing that is at the top of my list.

You may find affiliate links in this post below.

Recycle More

We always take glass to the bottle bank and recycle more than we actually throw away but I think we could improve this and see if we can reuse anything that we currently recycle. I would also like to buy more toys that have less plastic packaging. We do have some disposable plastic straws which I try and reuse as often as I can more recycling them, and apparently there are quite a lot of fun hacks you can do with plastic straws but it’s something I’m not going to buy anymore as we have more hard wearing ones that last longer. We are cutting down on buying fizzy drinks which of course avoids buying plastic there. I am also going to invest in an insulated water bottle that I can reuse and will keep water cool. I know it will be really beneficial when breastfeeding so I can have a bottle of water close by at all times. Recycling as much as we can will absolutely make us a more eco friendly family.

Reusables for the Baby

Another way we can be a more eco friendly family is the choices we make when it comes to our newborn. We are going to use eco friendly disposables and cloth nappies for this baby. I am hoping we will have more children in the future so we can keep using our cloth nappies for them which will, of course, save us money in the long term. I am also going to be looking into the eco friendly disposable options for early new born days and just in case spares to keep at my mums so we never get caught short. We currently have a set of Size 2 Bambino Miosoft from Kiddies Kingdom, two part cloth nappies to use for when Baby F is a bit bigger. I’m really looking forward to using cloth nappies. I’ve recently read they’re even better for baby boys because they keep things cool down there. Brilliant.

We have stopped buying disposable baby wipes with our weekly shopping now in an effort to be a more eco friendly family and have instead moved on to reusable Cheeky Wipes which I absolutely love! I bought an all you need kit which I am going to blog about properly soon to talk about how great they are! They smell amazing, are easy to use and will be super soft and gentle on the baby. Using the cloth nappies with the flushable liners will be saving us in wipes and a more eco friendly option. What is great about Cheeky Wipes is that they dry really quickly, are easy to wash the dark colours can be washed with an antibacterial detergent at 40 degrees. We went with dark colours to avoid any stains.

Affiliate Link – Get 15% off your first purchase over £25 -https://go.referralcandy.com/share/XLNHBKB

I am, however, so happy to have a selection of Aqua Wipes which are completely biodegradable. They are naturally kind and soft so perfect for new babies and children that still get their dinner all over their faces. They are made of water and a tiny bit of Aloe. These are going to be perfect to pop in the changing bag and again keep at my mums house as a just in case. I would absolutely consider buying more of these. Aqua Wipes are available on Amazon

Reusables for Me

Another way we can be a more eco friendly family, and this is completely new to me, is the personal hygiene products we use. I am completely new to the world of Cloth Sanitary Protection and Moon Cups but I am determined to give them a go when my body gets back to normal. I had my first period since having my implant removed in December and then fell pregnant. I had heard of Moon Cups and the like before and the idea kind of put me off. I didn’t have periods during my time on the contraceptive implant either so haven’t had to buy much sanitary protection for a while however I am completely sold on using the more eco friendly versions and getting some cloth pads at home ready for me P-Day returns – hopefully well after breastfeeding has finished. I will probably use disposables after birth because it’s a really mucky time and I do have quite a few pads to use but I will be converting.

I have also found some bamboo nursing pads which I am keen to get my hands on to help prevent leakage when breastfeeding. They look and sound so soft, can be washed and will probably be a little more gentle on the nips. I love that I can make these choices to be a more eco friendly family. You can also get cloth makeup remover pads although in all fairness I could probably just use our Cheeky Wipes for my own face to remove makeup.

Affiliate Link: https://amzn.to/2IqB9o4

Another thing that I think is probably our biggest plastic use is personal toiletries. I have avoided buying too buy this year as I got some really big bottles of Tigi Bed Head Shampoo and Conditioner for Christmas. Both Evie and I have been using them and we are only half way through one set so I’m glad I’ve reduced our plastic usage a little bit there. However, I might try and look into shampoo bars more as they come with no plastic and produce no waste. They smell amazing too and if I remember correctly they actually last quite a while. We have, however, received a few bottles of Dr. Bronner’s natural soap which is organic and a Fair Trade skin care. Dr. Bronner’s liquid soaps help to reduce waste in a multitude of ways. Most importantly being it’s 18 in 1 uses – making it affordable and versatile. The soap can be used to clean your body, mouth & teeth, fruit & Vegetables, your bathroom & Kitchen, clothes and even pets… and a little goes a long way! Coming in eight different varieties, the Unscented is great for kids and the more sensitive of skins and, even better, the bottles are recyclable and biodegradable.

Disclaimer: We received some of the products featured above for the purpose of this post, however, all opinions remain my own. Some links are affiliate links which means if you decide to purchase I might make a small commission from the sale but this is never at any cost to you as the buyer.

June 19, 2018