Candyfloss & Dreams

Category: Lifestyle

lifestyle blog posts focusing on home, lifestyle, parenting, pregnancy, family life and home and style. Home decor and working at home, working at home as a self employed freelancer and blogger. Family lifestyle blog posts including family reviews, family products and saving money as a family. Being a more eco friendly family.

  • I’m Going to BlogOn 2022

    I’m Going to BlogOn 2022

    Blogging conferences have always been a really fun part of blogging for me and a great way to meet other writers and brands from all across the country. I’m sad to say it’s the last BlogOn conference that will be held in The Coppid Beech Hotel in Bracknell but I can not wait to go. It’s been far, far too long since I’ve squished my blogging buddies and had a weekend away where I’m not anything to anyone else except myself. No one has to rely on me, it’s purely a chance to do what I love, meet people that have a passion for writing. I’m hoping the weekend away will help inspire me to write more again and fall completely in love with everything that blogging encompasses.

    I remember my first blogging conference was BlogFest held by Mumsnet many years ago now. The fact that this web space is going to be ten years old next March amazes me. The amount of people I’ve met, opportunities I’ve had and travelling I’ve done thanks to this blog has been astounding. Reflecting on all of this recently has really made me nostalgic for so many wonderful times and friendships I’ve build over the years not to mention so many fun brands I’ve had the pleasure of working with. Over these nine and a half years this blog has gone through many rebrands although I’ve never changed the name which is something I’m starting to consider as part of the reason why I’ve struggled to write on this space is because the name doesn’t really fit where I am in my life. I am, however, atrocious at coming up with names so whether a change is in the future or not I don’t know.

    With that in mind and the fact that I will meet new bloggers alongside my old friends I wanted to just share a little bit about me, who I am and what I’ve done over the years on this blog. It’s a space that has grown and matured with me. Where I have had to adapt so too has the content. What started as a place to share my thoughts on single parenthood through to family life and then more emotional and political topics that I’ve grown passionate about has become a place of solace, income and personal strength to me. It’s a place where I’ve always tried to be completely myself which has meant embracing some of the harder parts of life, my demons, so to speak, but also allowed me to keep my personality as big as it is. I’ve never felt I’ve had to shrink down to fit in here. Whilst I may have been judged by others for some of the things I’ve chosen to share no one has ever made me feel bad about it. I feel like for a long time whilst I’ve been trying to rediscover myself and find others that I fit in with more, I long to return to blogging and the people I’ve met because of blogging.

    I look like this at the moment but I wear glasses and there’s a chance my hair will be a different colour.

    So for those that don’t know me, I’m Kayleigh, some friends call me Kat, some friends now call me Avalon thanks to an absolute love I’ve found playing Final Fantasy XIV during lockdown but that is by the by. I’m a mother of two, a preteen and a preschooler, who are all over this blog from our family adventurers. I currently self identify as neurodivergent, queer and pretty nerdy. I love to read and I’ve always found great escapism within literature be that YA fantasy romance or graphic adult horror. I am still stuck in my late teens emo phase and will often quote pretty depressing lyrics that I somewhat identify with if I’m not quoting bookish references. I have a thing for northern accents, 50’s style dresses and a tiny obsession with woodwick candles. I’ve been proper into witchcraft for around twenty years now which again also accounts for the large amount of candles and crystals in my home but I’m pretty lazy with it all. As much as I wish tarot would predict the future I feel it more so helps guide my intuition a little better when I need to make a decision as my mind can be a little busy at times. I say witch but if you want the full term I like to define myself, because apparently I like a lot of labels, then I am a agnostic solitary eclectic witch. I don’t follow a specific witch based religion and I pull on lots of different paths in my practise.

    I can’t wait to get back into a room with so many funny, interesting and unique individuals learning skills together and meeting fantastic brands. BlogOn really does bring all of that together and has done for the many times I’ve been, whether that’s been travelling up and down the country to Manchester or the more comfortable location to me in the South of being in Bracknell. Not being able to make it last year was really sad for me so going this year and it being the last one was just an absolute must. I can not wait to see so many familiar faces. BlogOn is a place where you can walk up to anyone and be welcomed. I’ve been truly flattered when people have approached me with ‘Oh I know your blog, I love it!’ and given me a hug. I’ve loved connecting with people over creative flatlay sessions, hanging out and meeting brands, meeting my friends babies for the first time which has happened a fair few times and of course having a drink or two to finish off the day.

    I remember one such blogging occasion in London for BritMumsLive which ended in a river cruise then a few drinks in a bar and 2am pizza delivery in the hotel bar after. I’ve travelled solo around the country to attend events like this – something I never thought I’d have the confidence to do but I have. Where I’ve had to meet people behind the words for the first time. If it wasn’t for blogging I would not have had as many opportunities as I have done and my family have benefitted from it too as I’ve been able to make money at home this way.

    So whether this be your first blogging event or you’re kind of a veteran at attending things like this I hope you can come and say hello, because I can’t wait to meet you.

  • A Year of Nursery for Felix

    A Year of Nursery for Felix

    For the first time since Felix has been in nursery we were able to go and look around the setting and find out in person how he’s been getting on. This time last year we enrolled him in nursery willing to pay for two sessions a week because we were worried about what the long term impact of covid would have on his social skills. When the pandemic hit Felix was 18 months old and no longer allowed to see family and friends. It was such a crucial age for him. It was heart-breaking when we would go out for our walks and see him try to interact with other people and have to keep him away. We made the decision that preschool would be a good option for him even if we could only afford the minimum of a couple of sessions a week. I followed a recommendation for a preschool in my town because it had a great outside area and forest school aspect which I felt would really benefit Felix.

    Now Felix has been in the setting for a year, he’s changed rooms from the baby room up to Hedgehogs and is finally beginning to talk about friendships he’s made. I’m really proud of how much he’s developed with the assistance of preschool and it’s something he absolutely loves attending. We now are able to qualify for the 15 hours of funding which has really helped our childcare costs as it was becoming quite expensive however it really helped him which made it worth it. During our chat with his keyworker last night they told us when Felix started he mostly only played alongside other children but for the last few months he has gradually been interacting with other children and has made some friends which is all I really wanted for him.

    His language has really improved too in the last year and you can have an interesting conversation with him. He is very chatty most of the time and still talks with a bit of a made up language which no one seems to understand but him. I think at times he can get a little frustrated because he can’t quite get his point across but he is becoming more and more coherent. I love watching him play as he creates his own imaginary world with his toys and is becoming more and more expressive. His next step at nursery is to listen to instructions better because there are times when he is very defiant. A lot of this is working out his own frustrations and not wanting to do what he is told because he is already doing what he wants to do. I have seen him turn on the fake crying to get what he wants which I can often deter with distractions. I think this is all typical toddler/preschooler behaviour of testing his boundaries and becoming his own person and I have to admit I am finding it a lot easier to deal with than I did with his older sister. Maybe it’s because I’m older now.

    I love Evie’s face in this one like “Why is he making me do this?”

    We have another 18 months of Felix at home before he will be starting school full time so I want to make the most of this time. I love seeing him develop into his own person. Having spent half his life in a strange position with the pandemic I am glad we are able to give him some normality with nursery and I’m pleased he’s getting on so well. The next thing to tackle soon would be potty training which I’m apprehensive about but I think he’s ready for it and having the support of nursery I think it’s the right time for him.

  • Dr Strange and The Multiverse of Madness

    Dr Strange and The Multiverse of Madness

    I’ve been a huge fan of the MCU for years now so it’s no surprise that I was excited for second Dr Strange film which I was able to see recently thanks to Adam being gifted cinema vouchers for his birthday. Cinema outings have been less frequent over the last few years for obvious reasons so it was great to get out and see a film I’d been anticipating. I missed out on watching Spiderman No Way Home when it was in the cinema so, thanks to Amazon, I watched that before the film. I’d also watched Wandavision last year (which I loved) and so Dr Strange follows on nicely from those two instalments very well.

    I really enjoyed the film for a variety of reasons but of course it being a multiverse film seeing some of the cross overs with other well known Marvel characters from the comics, other film franchises and the animated Disney Plus show What If…? made it a really cool experience. I was really surprised with what the film ended up being about as I wasn’t really sure if the trailers gave everything away and whilst I think they did to an extent there were some scenes I really wasn’t expecting.

    I love a film with a great villain too and this really intrigued me as it wasn’t what I was expecting. I don’t want to give too much away for those that haven’t seen the film but I found the motives really easy to empathise with and I think that is what makes a great villain in fiction. If you can understand them, if you can see why they’re doing what they’re doing then it just gives them such a great character arc.

    I found the film was much darker than other films in the MCU which I really liked however I would say some of the scenes might be a little scary for younger viewers so something for parents to maybe be aware of beforehand as they certainly made me jump. There is more gore in this film than others too, I wouldn’t say it was a moderate amount but there are deaths and they are more graphic than I would say they have been previously. It did have some comic relief throughout though which we have all come to know and love from MCU films.

    Whilst I really enjoyed the film I don’t really feel like it was a Doctor Strange film, more a culmination of the events that have happened from the Disney Plus shows and a full conclusion to those that Doctor Strange just so happened to be in and with his ties to magic he made the most sense. I’m not really sure what to expect from the future of the MCU films but I am excited to see new characters step into the spotlight.

  • Getting Back into Blogging

    Getting Back into Blogging

    Like everyone I have found the last couple of years completely out of my depth and as such I have struggled to maintain doing something I love, and have loved, for years. The lack of routine, inspiration, socialising with other writers and just general stress and anxiety of the pandemic and having to parent and crisis school and take care of my mental health. It has really taken it’s toll. I have truly been pushed to my limits in ways I didn’t even know I could be pushed.

    I want to write, so very badly, and this blog has been a solace for so many years; a source of income and a place to cathartically express things I’ve struggled with alongside things I’ve loved. It’s been a diary of my children’s lives, a scrapbook of our holidays together and navigating self employment. It’s been a place to express my frustrations and feelings. I miss having that space I created for so many reasons back in 2013. Even this, right now, is hard. I’m struggling to let the words flow, I’m struggling to focus and not procrastinate and do something else because writing has not been a part of my daily routine as it was for some time and that makes me desperately unhappy.

    I feel like I’m no longer part of something. There was a blog before the pandemic and then there is now. A place where I own and love and cherish but doesn’t really have any direction anymore. I have been told so many times that to grow a blog you need to write authentically but find how you can help people and I’ve tried so many different avenues. I know it’s all about finding that sweet spot between writing what you love and writing what will help.

    So really I just want to say that I’m still here. I’m just figuring out what to say and what to write right now. I’ve got some ideas and things I want to talk about. I’ve got some reviews I’d like to share and most importantly I want to talk to my friends again. I want to read what they’re doing again and see how things have changed for them.

  • The Best Travel Jacket – The Gamma Jacket 

    The Best Travel Jacket – The Gamma Jacket 

    This is a collaborative post

    No matter where you like to travel, it’s good to have a reliable, comfortable travel jacket to keep you warm and dry. The Gamma jacket is an all-season, waterproof jacket that is so much more than a regular travel jacket. It comes with built-in heating, graphene-infused materials, and a multifunctional 10-pocket system. 

    Here’s everything you need to know about the Gamma jacket and what makes it the best travel jacket. 

    The Gamma Jacket 

    Whether you want to travel during the cold winter months or visit a destination in the spring, the Gamma jacket is a great option. But what exactly makes the Gamma jacket the perfect all-season travel jacket? 

    The Gamma jacket comes with a built-in heating system that will keep you warm at all times. With just a push of a button, you will be able to adjust the heating settings and control your body temperature. The heat is distributed evenly throughout the entire jacket. It’s also UV-proof, so it will protect you from harmful sun rays, allowing you to wear it in summer as well. 

    What makes the Gamma jacket stand out is the graphene-infused material, which is a tough and flexible fabric. According to this recent article, graphene that’s woven into fabric comes with many advantages. Once its spread evenly across the entire jacket, you will be protected and warm throughout your upper body. In other words, it will keep you warm during winter and cool during summer. 

    The Gamma jacket is also waterproof, which is a very important element for traveling. This source states that waterproof jackets are much more convenient than water-resistant jackets. Therefore, you will be able to wear this waterproof jacket in heavy rain and snow without worrying about getting wet. This all-climate jacket is also breathable, lightweight, and highly durable. It features a multifunctional 10-pocket system, which will come in handy when you’re hiking, jogging, or visiting remote areas. 

    Travel Around the World With the Gamma Jacket 

    If you’re looking for a travel jacket that’s waterproof, lightweight, and comes with built-in heating, the Gamma jacket won’t disappoint you. With this waterproof jacket, you’ll be able to travel all year round. Now that you’ve found the perfect travel jacket, here’s an article about travel that might be of interest to you. www.weargraphene.com