Candyfloss & Dreams

Author: Kat Candyfloss

I’m a Fluxter and Proud – #OwnTheFlow

A few weeks ago I began a collaboration with Flux, a UK based period subscription box and have just recently had my box come through the post! I have to say I am really impressed. Each box starts from £3.50, comes once a month and is in discreet, perfect letterbox fit packaging. Periods aren’t exactly the best thing for a lot of us ladies and it’s not great to be caught short…you know, like that guy who is protesting tampon tax thinks…so having a little box come every month just before you’re due means you won’t be caught short.

So how does it work?
Flux works by you creating your ideal box. You can choose between pads or tampons, the size, how well the absorb, if you need pantyliners before or after and thicker pads for night time comfort…fantastic. They are covering the whole of your period and they know every woman has a different flow. My box came with a mix which included five pads and five tampons.

Who is it for?
Every woman that is having periods. This is the sort of thing I would like to do for my daughter when the time comes because it’s not nice when it first happens and you feel crappy and a little box like this would be nice and mean that there’s always a supply personalised to them in the home.

What’s in the box?
So of course there’s the supply of pads and/or tampons. You choose your preference so each box is personal to you. The box comes with your supply for your period and also a little grouped up handbag size selection so that you can pop it in should you be expecting to come on in the next few days.

Each box also came with a lovely bar of chocolate and two bags of tea. Chocolate and tea is good for the soul and can really help when you’re feeling a bit down and hormonal thanks to Mother Nature.

The chocolate bar in the pack isn’t just you’re everyday Freddo either, it’s a good quality, yummy chocolate bar which makes all the difference. Mine was a belgian white chocolate and raspberry bar with a dark chocolate drizzle from The Chocolate Place.

I also got a Welcome to the Club showing the colours of the different types of pads and the lovely newsletter which has a monthly mind boggler, a warm and welcome introduction, some interesting information about strong women, this month featuring Gloria Steinem and they are doing some good for women truly in need.

Flux has been able to make it’s first donation to a homeless drop in centre. Flux want to make sure that all woman have access to the protection they need for their periods, especially the homeless and vulnerable. There message is something I completely agree with and feel strongly about because they don’t want to just provide women with these products but dignity. You can find out more at thehomelessperiod.com

What are you waiting for?
Head on over to Flux right now and get started on your monthly box! It’s for the same price you’d be spending in stores anyway but is delivered regularly and with treats. Plus you’ll be helping vulnerable women. What’s not to like? If you’re happy with your box feel free to share the message on social media with @fluxboxes and #owntheflow

Disclaimer: I was send a box from Flux for the purpose of this reviews. I genuinely think this is awesome and all opinions remain my own.

October 19, 2016
Rub Rub Rub Beautiful Body Scrub
I recently received the lovely Rub Rub Rub Shower Scrub in the Hello Gorgeous gift box – brilliant, by the way – and I’ve been looking for other ways to use this fantastic shower scrub because it smells heavenly and is full of sea salt and lemon juice which are full of antibacterial properties and so can be used for all sorts of things. The pot does come with a hefty price tag so I wanted to find as many uses for the pot as possible. Here are my 6 top ways to use Rub Rub Rub Shower Scrub.

Photo Credit: Lush
1. As a body exfoliator. Rub onto wet or dry skin, step into the bath or shower to rinse. Smells great, leaves skin feeling lovely and soft and is a fantastic body scrub, which is probably what it’s most used for.
2. As a foot scrub. Fancy a little home spa pedi? This scrub is rough enough to get rid of those dry patches on your feet.
3. Help clear dodgy nails. Again, antibacterial properties, might help any fungal nails stop being so…fungal!
4. Hair volumiser spray. Add a little to warm water in a spray bottle, shake up and spray before drying your hair for a bit of extra volume and a lovely scent.
5. Hair cleanser. If you use shampoo, try this every other wash to cleanse the hair naturally. The sea salt is also a great balance for greasy hair.
6. Face scrub. Great to cleanse the pores and help heal the skin, it’s quite rough so use sparingly. The lemon juice and salt can help draw out spots and dry out acne.
So there are my top 6 rub rub rub scrub tips. Have you used this body scrub before? What did you think? Any extra uses?

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October 14, 2016
Halloween Hot Chocolate and Milkshake Mix

Okay so Halloween is still a little further down the Autumn path but I think this chocolate mix will be perfect for delicious drinks with a hint of spice. What makes it even better is this chocolate mix can be made as healthy or as decadent as you like. This chocolate mix has undergone a tasting test in this household and has thumbs up all around. It’s quick and easy to make, you can double the suggested quantities to make a huge batch up so it’s always ready for a quick fix, and you can change the ingredients as you see fit to suit your dietary needs. It’s got a gentle spice to it making it a perfect autumn warmer or cooler.

For healthy versions of the chocolate mix use chocolate protein powder, Sweet Freedom choc shot and dark organic cocoa powder. I love hazlenut milk with this chocolate mix. Let me take you through how I created my super chocolate mix.

10 teaspoons chocolate milkshake powder
5 teaspoons dark chocolate powder
8 teaspoons icing sugar
1/2 teaspoons sachet of chocolate orange powder
10 grams milk chocolate chips
10 grams white chocolate chips
1 teaspoon of cinnamon
1 teaspoon of nutmeg
1 pint of milk or dairy substitute

Alternatively you could use gingerbread or pumpkin spice for a bit of a kick. I recommend the My Secret Kitchen chocolate powders as they are amazing. Mix all the dry ingredients in a pot and then warm up the milk or dairy substitute on the hob. Add 8 tablespoons of the mixture and stir. This should simmer for around ten minutes and create a silky smooth mixture. You can drink warm or leave to cool and pour over ice for a delicious milkshake.

Fancy making an adult version for those friday nights to warm up with? Why not add a shot of baileys? The orange chocolate truffle one works perfectly for this mix.

Topping this with whipped cream, toffee sauce or honey and a little segment of Terry’s chocolate orange. Just to make it a little more special. So there it is, my ultimate chocolate powder for Halloween hot chocolate and milkshake mix.

October 1, 2016
Visiting Alesund, Norway
Alesund was the second port we visited on our cruise on the Azura around Norway last month. Alesund is a really pretty town with lots of lovely little shops in the centre and a natural canal running through. It’s full of quaint storefronts and fishing boats and the town is made up over several islands.

We had a lovely time exploring and took advantage of a full day in port by using the Hop On Hop Off bus. The bus took you to several places across the islands and took just over an hour if you were sitting on for the full tour. Once on board you were given some headphones to plug into the information points to listen to the history of the place. The bus stops at ten different points and a bus can be expected at each of these points every 30 minutes when there’s a cruise ship docked.

For unlimited use over 24 hours we paid 275 NOK which is around £27. You can prebook these tickets online though and I think it’s a little cheaper if you pay on a credit or debit card.

The views are stunning.

The bus stops at the following places of interest
1. Cruise Ship Terminal
2. Sunnmore Museum
3. Aksla View Point – Fjellstua
4. Parken Kulturhus & Shopping district
5. Tourist Information
6. The Art Nouveau Centre & Jugendstilsenteret
7. Ålesund Church
8. Ålesund Aquarium, Atlanterhavsparken
9. Hessa Viewpoint
In Norway Museums and Galleries do come at an extra price so it’s worth checking before you enter. Toilets usually reguire 10 kroner to use but a lot I’ve seen require you to pay by credit or debit card.

The Atlanterhavsparken is a great place for families with a few animals and wildlife to see and is actually within walking distance but does take around 40 minutes to get there. We heard the seals on our way into dock.

You can also climb the 400 zig zag steps up the mountain to the Aksla view point for some stunning views as well as seeing the old German bunkers.

Browsing along the shops in the town is a lovely way to relax. There were plenty of markets on when we visited and lots of souvenier shops dotted around the cobbled streets. It’s a very pretty harbour town.
September 19, 2016
A Day Out at the Wildest Theme Park

Our Day at Chessington World of Adventures

We have had lots of lovely things to celebrate recently which means we’ve been lucky enough to head to some lovely places and have some great family days out. One of which being Mini Kat’s 6th Birthday. I honestly can not believe she is 6 now, it’s gone so fast. She had a fantastic birthday with a party and a trip to Chessington World of Adventures with the family which was so much fun, if a little busy. We are quite lucky that it’s only just over an hour away from us so it didn’t take too long to arrive. Now Evie is getting older I’d love a chance to take her to Thorpe Park. Pink Oddy has a great place on why Thorpe Park is perfect on a hot day.

A group of us headed up with our two for one entry tickets thanks to a lot of Krave cereal over the last few weeks but it was so worth it to get six of us in the park for £138 which is a massive saving. You can, of course, take advantage of the online savings however we weren’t sure if we would make it until the last minute so advance tickets just weren’t an option for us.

We arrived quite late in the morning and parked in the Explorers car park close to the Go Ape field. This is the Tiger Field and a short walk from the Explorers gate. It’s really important to note if you park here you have to leave by this gate. We didn’t know this when it was time to leave as the first time we saw a notice of this was when we left through the main exit and saw a sign in the carpark. It would be really ideal for the ticket gate operators to inform you that you need to leave the way you enter to save a little time at the end of a tiring day.

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Before visiting I really recommend downloading the app which helped us to get around. It includes a digital map and uses GPS to see where you are in the park, really helpful when planning where to go next and to see what’s close to you. The app also has all the show times, animal encounters and queue times which is so handy and a great way to plan throughout the day.

Evie and Nora the Moose at Chessington World of Adventures, enjoying a little rest.

We visited on Friday 2nd September and it was very busy. We hoped we would get on the bubbleworks for one final time but throughout the day the queue was a minimum of 60 minutes. Because of the amount of people there it meant we didn’t really get to go on a lot but we saw the Penguins of Madagascar, Operation Cheezy Dibbles which was a really fun show full of music and dancing. Absolutely great for kids and is one a few times throughout the day.

We missed a lot of the animal shows from being in queues but we did go on the Zufari ride which is completely worth lining up for. It was awesome. It’s very bumpy and you are very likely to get wet on this ride so if you don’t like that then stay away from the end seats. Each row seats five people however the seats are quite small. Luckily you’re only on the ride for about five minutes. You get up close and personal with giraffes, rhino, blesbok, zebra and flamingos and it’s lovely to see them on a safari adventure. Close to the ride is a part of the zoo featuring Gazelle, Meerkats and a whole host of other animals to peek at.

There are plenty of seating, grassy areas and picnic benches throughout the park for those that take picnics with them as well as clean toilets situated in each of the lands with smaller sinks for little people. For those that have smokers in the group like we did there are plenty of designated smoking areas scattered throughout the park however there is no smoking allowed in queues.

We managed to get on the Carosel, Bumper Cars, Hocus Pocus Hall, Rattlesnake, Scorpian Express and SeaStorm throughout our day. We probably could have gone on a few more rides if we had planned better but the crowds did make it hard to get from one end of the park to the other and it is so much bigger than I remember. Seeing the animals in the sea life centre and through the trail of the kings was great and Mini Kat was really intrigued by the Gorillas.

Look how big I am?!

We will visit Chessington again as it’s just ride for Mini Kat’s age and size now however I really would like to go on a quieter day to get around a bit more as well as stay overnight in one of the hotels as I think that helps you get around a lot more. They also have a glamping option available there too.

Have you been to Chessington World of Adventures recently? What did you think?

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September 5, 2016