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Home Comforts with a Leesa Mattress

Leesa Mattress Review

Our new Leesa Mattress has been amazing over the last month where we’ve been testing it out, especially as the weather has been pretty hot to handle. With pregnancy comes so many discomforts and I knew I was going to have trouble sleeping and getting comfortable in the night so when I was offered a chance to review a Leesa Mattress I was so excited. Ordering the mattress was really simple and took a few minutes on the website. There was no charge for delivery either which was brilliant. We needed to order a king size Leesa Mattress for our bed and were told delivery usually took around seven days. I ordered late on the Monday evening and the mattress was with us on Thursday. When ordering mattresses before they have taken weeks to arrive so having this come to our door so quickly was just amazing. I was so excited to unbox, unroll and inflate, however, we waited until the Friday when Adam was home from work.

I will say that the Leesa mattress is heavy. I know that sounds a little strange but, well, mattresses aren’t light and Adam was quite surprised with how heavy it was getting it up the stairs and into our flat. I suppose, the size of the box didn’t really make you think of heavy because it comes so well rolled up. Once we had stripped off our bed and removed the old mattress we were ready to roll out. We did find getting it out the box a little bit challenging with not much room to move around but it didn’t take us long to get the mattress out of the box and onto our bed frame where, with the first unroll, you could see the mattress begin to inflate to it’s true size. There was a large amount of plastic wrap around the Leesa mattress too which needed to be removed. I would say position the mattress in the right place at the top of the bed and rolling it down to the bottom was the easiest way for us and made removing the plastic at the same time easier. Once unwrapped there was a bit of a musty smell that did take a bit of time to go so I would suggest leaving the mattress un covered to fully expand for the whole day if possible and then put the sheets back on at night. Leesa also have a sheet suitable for the mattress if you want the matching set.

All About Leesa Mattress

The Leesa Mattress is made here in the UK and is exclusive to being ordered online. Sizes start from a standard UK Single at £399 and go up to a UK Super King at £769. We went for the king size which is valued at £699 however, you can take advantage of a 100 night sleep trial and at any point during those first 100 nights you can have the mattress picked up and returned, for free, with a full refund. If possible Leesa will donate the mattress to a charity in your community or arrange collection with a recycling partner. You don’t have to roll it back up either. Leesa do recommend that you try the mattress for at least 30 days so that your body can adjust to the new mattress. I think providing extra time after this 30 days is really generous and the recycling scheme is fantastic. Leesa also recommend that the mattress is set up on a stable, rigid base. The Leesa mattress is made up of three different layers to provide ample comfort and support during the night and has a ten year warranty which is ideal for a decent mattress. The three layers are a dense core support of foam, a 5cm layer of memory foam and a 5cm Cooling Avena foam top layer to provide air flow and help keep you cooler during the night.

One thing I really love about the Leesa mattress is the social and community support. For every 10 mattresses sold in the UK one is donated to homeless shelters, refuges and crisis centres. As someone that once lived in a women’s refuge I can’t tell you how much this means to me and makes me really passionate about this company and wanting to share them with my readers. Any UK charity registered with the Charity Commission or OSCR can be considered for a donation. Every customer is also given a 100 night free trial and if at any time you decide the mattress isn’t for you, Leesa will arrange collecting the mattress and if it’s in a good, usable condition will donate it to a charity or refuge in the local area. If they can’t donate it they they will organise having it recycled. So far over 26,000+ mattresses have been donated.

What Do We Think?

I am so happy with our Leesa mattress and I have slept really well over the last month whilst we have been testing the mattress. I was starting to suffer on my hips during the night with my pregnancy but since swapping to our new mattress I have had virtually no discomfort when waking in the morning. The mattress is lovely and thick and quite high from the bed so getting out of bed as a pregnant lady is not particularly glamorous, however, waking up pain free and feeling well rested is amazing. I was a little concerned about the heat as so many people told me memory foam gets really hot however I haven’t experienced this at all and I think that’s down to the cooling layer as well as keeping our room as cool as we can. I really love the mattress and those first few nights sleep were absolute bliss for me. I am still waking up in the night but without cramp or pain which is just amazing. Getting a good night sleep in pregnancy can be really hard and our new Leesa mattress has made this really easy.

I am so impressed with the quality of the mattress, how comfortable it is and just so relieved that in this heat wave I have been sleeping so soundly. A decent mattress really does make a world of difference. Leesa have agreed to give my readers £100 off a Leesa Mattress using the code CANDYFLOSSDREAMS

Disclaimer: This post is in collaboration with Leesa Mattress, of which I received a mattress for the purpose of this feature, however, all opinions remain my own. You may find affiliate links in this post which means if you decide to click through and purchase a Leesa Mattress I may make a small commission at no extra cost to you.

July 11, 2018
Returning to Landguard, Park Dean Resorts

Landguard Holiday Park is a Park Dean Resorts caravan park in Shanklin on the Isle of Wight. Its next to a larger holiday park, Lower Hyde, and staying at one or the other enables you to use the facilities of both parks. This is the third time we have stayed with Park Dean Resorts after our trip to Mullion Holiday Park, Cornwall last year.

We first came to Landguard in October 2014 as our first holiday as a family of three and thought it would only be appropriate to have our last holiday as a family of three here now I am pregnant. Shanklin itself is a beautiful town and one I can’t wait to bring my baby boy to in the future.

Getting To Landguard Holiday Park

We arrived by public transport and the Wightlink FastCat Ferry service which was very simple. I believe booking a holiday on the Isle of Wight through park dean resorts can also get you free ferry returns for a car but not for foot passengers. If you are going by train and on foot like us, I would recommend purchasing your tickets straight through to your destination as this then includes FastCat ferry from Portsmouth Harbour. We booked our tickets a month in advance using a family and friends railcard which cost us £108 for a return including our ferry crossing. This was from our home all the way down to Shanklin rail station which is an absolute bargain.

From Shanklin rail station you can cross over the road to the map and then down the stairs on the right. This will bring you in front of Lower Hyde park. To continue on to Landguard holiday park keep walking right and across the zebra crossing outside Lidl. There is a public footpath and bridle way just next to turning to Lidl and you can walk down here to access the holiday parks. It’s approximately twenty minutes walk from the station to Landguard holiday park reception which isn’t far but when the path is not really suitable for wheelchairs or prams. Sometimes there are taxis outside the train station or you can book one. A taxi ride from Shanklin sea front to Landguard is around £5 so I imagine from the train station to Landguard holiday park the taxi fare is around the same price.

Check In at Landguard holiday park

Check in is from 4pm however you can arrive early and start using the facilities. You can leave a mobile number with reception who can give you a call if your caravan is ready early. We arrived around 3.30pm and we were able to collect our caravan keys straight away which was great. There are car parks available to use close to the park entrance and further on in for some of the other holiday homes as well as near the lodges. There is a pitching and touring area too and a separate drive and reception just to the left of the main holiday park entrance.

Check in at Landguard holiday park was straightforward and we were given a pack of information, a map to our caravan and a key. We also arrived in the heatwave of early July 2018 and we were able to hire a fan for a £10 deposit. This was brought over to us around an hour after checking in however we did find keeping the doors and windows open helped cool the caravan down really quickly. The staff at reception are friendly and really helpful.

Our Hazel Caravan at Landguard Holiday Park – new for 2018

We like having a little extra space in a caravan and often paying a bit extra can really make a huge difference. We paid around £250 for our four night break in a Hazel Caravan at Landguard which is brand new for 2018. We were all really impressed with the comfort, stylish and spacious caravan which included all the things you would need for a family break. I’ve written a more in depth post about our caravan and included a video tour in another post.

Food and Drink

As we were only having four nights at Landguard holiday park we decided to not to a big food shop and instead got a few snacks and basic essentials for the caravan. I was trying to look for the menu online but struggled to find it so took a few photos to help others. I like to know the cost of the food on site and the type of food offered. The menu is, of course, likely to change but as of summer 2018 this is the menu on site at Landguard holiday park.

The first night after a long day of travel we went to the Boathouse restaurant on site. Sadly, the meal was really disappointing for the £40 we paid. We ordered a sharing platter as a starter however this ended up coming with our main meals which was fine as we were looking happy to share anyway. However, this resulted in my main meal being missed. The food wasn’t very appetising and really put us off eating there for the rest of the break.

We did, however, try again on the Wednesday night as there was a curry night option. This was a curry and a Cobra beer or soft drink for £10.95. Again, for the quality of the food, it wasn’t perfect but it was better. We both had a beef madras curry and Evie had a chicken mayo wrap for £2.95.

Landguard Holiday Park Entertainment

I love holiday park entertainment and I was so impressed with the availability of entertainment for children and adults. On the first night we walked up to Lower Hyde for the evening and just stayed for the children’s part of the entertainment before walking over to Lidl for some snacks and then heading back to our caravan.

On the second night we headed into Shanklin for dinner and then got a taxi back to Lower Hyde for the evening entertainment only to be told that it had been replaced by the football as England were playing. Now, I don’t really mind that it was changed but I wish we had been told before hand as we probably would have stayed down at the seafront. The park troupers children entertainers were offering to take the kids out to the multi sports court for a game whilst parents watched the foodtball however with Evie being under 8 one of us would have had to go and watch. Evie didn’t want to play so we ended up spending a bit of time in the arcade before heading back down the hill to Landguard holiday park.

We then went to the entertainment lounge to watch the football whilst Evie joined in with the arts and crafts going on and played in the park as we could see her easily from our table. I usually can’t stand football and this is the second time I’ve been Pregnant during a World Cup. Adam isn’t a supporter either (thankfully!!) but we both got caught up in the atmosphere during a really tense game between England and Columbia. I even found myself spontaneously cheering along.

After the match we stayed on to play the Retro Game Show in which we won first prize. However, being pregnant I exchanged my bottle of bubbly for another prize and Evie got a signed certificate from her favourite bunny from the starland krew Sparkle.

For the third night we stayed at Landguard holiday park for evening entertainment where Evie played some games with Pipsqueak the mouse before heading outside to the park again with some friends. We took part in the TOP 5 quiz game and again won first place with 65 points. It was good fun and we walked away with some headphones. We then stayed on for a bit of a sing along before walking back to the caravan and getting to bed.

For our last night we decided to stay put at Landguard holiday park again for the evening. This time the Park Live event was from sleight of hand comedy magician Mark James and he was really great. It was nice to see something a bit different on our last evening and he gave us all a great laugh. I love seeing comedy shows when I’m on holiday, they’re great entertainment and offer something completely different than the usual singing and dancing. It was a great atmosphere in the room with everyone laughing along.

Landguard Holiday Park Facilities

Landguard holiday park is quite small however being able to use the facilities of both parks at no extra cost gives you a lot of choice. We mostly used what was on offer at Landguard because the walk up hill to lower Hyde was a bit much for my seven month pregnant self to handle every night. There is an inside and outside swimming pool, on site shop, laundrette, restaurant, show lounge and two play parks for children. It’s around a 30 minute walk down to the seafront or £5 by taxi where you’ll find plenty of things to do in Shanklin.

One of the Pools at Lower Hyde holiday park that guests at Landguard can use

Overall we have really enjoyed our week away and have come home feeling refreshed. A week away was just what we all needed to recharge and spend some quality time together as a family. Hopefully over the summer holidays we can get out for a few days but this has been a great break away as our last holiday as a family of three.

Here’s a little holiday vlog of our week on the Isle of Wight and staying at Landguard Holiday Park in Shanklin

July 9, 2018
My Second Trimester Is Over

The Second Trimester of my second pregnancy is done! The second trimester is usually around 13 to 28 weeks of pregnancy or, months four, five and six. I am now, almost, 29 weeks pregnant and that means we are welcoming or waddling into the third trimester after a relatively easy pregnancy so far. I’ve now had my first Doula antenatal appointment as well as met with my consultant and had my 28 week midwife check.

How Did I Find the Second Trimester?

The second trimester has been really pretty normal to be honest. We’ve had plenty of scans and did a little gender reveal after our anomoly scan at 20 weeks. All my tests have come back normal, my energy levels have been a bit up and down. I have talked about how I’ve had a bit of suffering with my mental health but having open conversations with loved ones really improved that for me and I was soon back on track. I’ve been sleeping relatively well too which is great. I haven’t felt much discomfort apart from a few bits of sciatica and a few kicks to the bladder from baby which has been so lovely. Mostly I feel pretty good and confident I am making the right choices when it comes to the birth. I’m actually pretty excited about the birth although I’m sure that will change in the next few weeks. We have decided not to book in with any Antenatal classes as I’m getting all the information I need from my Doula and have booked hypnobirthing classes in July and August instead. I’ve also read a lot of books and feel like I know so much more about what my body is capable of. I have a lot more faith in myself and my body this pregnancy.

How Am I Looking at the end of the Second Trimester?

How Am I Feeling at the end of the Second Trimester?

Our scan at 21 weeks showed we are having a baby boy and this did come with a bit of gender anxiety but actually I’m really excited to have a son and can’t wait to meet him.
I am, like most mothers would be, anxious about this last stage of pregnancy. Birth is getting closer and I am adamant to have as positive birth as I possibly can. I have already written up a birth plan with thanks to my Doula and I’ve talked it through with my midwife and consultant.
I am still a little anxious about adjusting to life as a family of four especially with Adam due to start University around our due date in the Autumn.

Weight Gain in Second Trimester?

Weight at start of the year: 120kg
Weight at Booking in: 120kg
Weight at 25 Weeks: 123kg
Weight at 28 Weeks: 125.5kg

Total Weight gain so far: 5.5kg – apparently for someone of my BMI I should try and keep my weight gain under 11kg and as I’ve got to the third trimester with pretty minimal weight gain, I’m really happy with this. I’m confident any extra weight will mostly be baby, uterus and water weight.

Any Concerns?

Not really. I am pretty confident I am going to get the positive VBAC birth I want and I feel really prepared. I have thought about all the other options and what having a c-section would mean, obviously I do not want to have that type of surgery again but in an emergency situation I know what to expect and how I can help myself.

Any Symptoms?

Not really. I still have some nasal congestion but I’m no longer continuously gagging. I don’t feel any sickness. I’m still sleeping okay which is absolutely amazing. I’m actually finding I’ve been able to stay awake in the evenings until about 11pm and getting up around 6am. Most of the times it’s all the way through too which is very nice. I’m trying to keep up with drinking plenty of water and eating as well as I can but there are times I am finding myself so hungry. I also find I fill up quite quickly and I suppose that is where baby is pushing against everything now. I’m not really in any pain or have many aches and the sciatica hasn’t really returned. Some positions I’m finding uncomfortable when sitting and my centre of gravity has absolutely changed. The second trimester has been pretty okay though for me and I hope that continues for as long as possible.

What’s Next?

I have two 90 minute hypnobirthing sessions booked in for July and August and I’m going to be continuing with reading Mindful Hypnobirthing and using the recommended relaxation tracks. I am hoping to continue Aquafit for as long as possible. There is more midwife appointments to come and I want to get my hospital bag packed and ready. We want to get the Chicco Next 2 Me Crib and Pram purchased in August too so that’s high on our list of priorities. I’m looking forward to my next antenatal with my Doula where we are going to go a bit more in depth with birth affirmations and how I visualise my birth space to make sure oxytocin is flowing through labour. I have a growth scan coming up too which will be a nice chance to see baby again although I have to admit I don’t really care too much about his predicted weight. It wasn’t very accurate when I had Evie.

What Has Helped This Pregnancy

Here are a few products that I’ve loved using this pregnancy and might help you too.

Pregnancy Pillow

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

Mindful Hypnobirthing Book

Affiliate Link: https://amzn.to/2Misy5b

Lavender Essential oil

Affiliate Link: https://amzn.to/2yd1PUT

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.

July 5, 2018
6 Tips to Encourage Your Kids to Eat Healthier Foods

This is a collaborative post.

Getting children to eat healthy seems to be one of the most difficult parenting challenges. Some kids seem to only want to eat mac and cheese, fries, cookies, and chicken nuggets; ask them to eat some fruits and vegetables and they ignore it at best, or throw tantrums at worst.

So how do you overcome this hurdle? Here are a few helpful tips.

Use Healthier Ingredients

Pick something your child loves to eat, say a cupcake, and learn how to make it with healthier ingredients. For example, replace regular dairy milk with equally creamy and delicious plant-based milks instead. For toppings, do away with the candy sprinkles and use chopped nuts or toasted oats with honey. Show your child that this food that they love is made with a healthy ingredient to help convince them that healthy food doesn’t have to taste bad.

Include Them in the Process

Most children don’t see how the food is made; they arrive at the dinner table with the food already there. They don’t know what you put in, but they are expected to eat it anyway. By bringing your children into the process — from picking the ingredients in the grocery or farmer’s market, down to the preparation and actual cooking — they can get more excited, interested, and invested in what they are eating. What’s more, shopping and cooking together is also an opportunity to have fun and bond. It may even be more helpful if you can grow your own vegetables and fruits. There’s a certain sense of satisfaction in harvesting and eating something you cultivated on your own.

Give Them a Choice

Don’t serve them one dish and expect them to eat just that. Giving them more freedom makes them more receptive to the idea of eating healthy. If you’re serving tacos (lean meat, of course), prepare an array of toppings like cabbage, cheese, lettuce, onions, parsley, sliced tomatoes, and tomato salsa. If you’re serving pasta, don’t mix in the sauce immediately. Let them pick from two or three healthy sauces. Getting into a power-struggle with your children will make them even more rebellious when it comes to eating healthy. You’ll be surprised at how even a little bit of leeway can help encourage kids to eat better.

Try Some Dips

Even the most unpleasant-tasting foods can become palatable with the right dip. Prepare vegetable sticks and a variety (remember: give them choices!) of healthy dips, like hummus, Greek yogurt ranch dressing, salsa, and honey mustard. Your children might even end up requesting for more!

Don’t Shock Them

Once they reach a certain age, children will become naturally wary of trying new foods, especially if they’ve already chosen their favorites. Don’t shock them into eating a huge variety of vegetables all of a sudden. Introduce them slowly; you can even include them in soups or omelettes to ease them in gently. Tell them that eating vegetables and other healthy foods takes a little bit of adjustment, but they will eventually get used to the taste.

Do as You Say

When your kids see you order something unhealthy at a restaurant, they’re likely to copy you and order the same thing. When they see that you dislike eating broccolis but you are asking them to eat it, they won’t be convinced that it tastes good and that it’s good for them. You may also have improper habits, like eating late at night or eating too much at times, which your children may think is normal. So gird it up for the sake of healthy eating, in both your habits and the kind of food you eat — eat better and your children will get into the habit, too.

Final Tips

One more helpful tip is to not keep junk food in the house, and instead keep healthy snack items like nuts, dried and fresh fruits, or even frozen fruit popsicles. You may not have control over what they eat when they’re away from home, but when they are, make sure that there are wholesome options available to them.

Finally, don’t give up. It may be really challenging, but eating healthy — even for adults — is a constant process. Remind yourself that it’s okay to give in sometimes as long as you try again the next day. Good luck!

July 5, 2018
Packing for a Caravan Holiday

Caravan Holiday Packing When You Can’t Drive

We are very excited to be off on a Caravan Holiday to the Isle of Wight however neither Adam or I can drive so when it comes to travel we have to navigate public transport. It can be really tough when you’re having a staycation and trying not to pack the absolute world, especially with children. We love caravan holidays because they provide a good base for us to explore, are usually pretty affordable and holiday parks usually have great facilities to enjoy. This is the second time we’ve had a caravan holiday at Landguard in Shanklin so we know what to expect of the park which makes packing quite a bit easier. However, as you can do when you have a car, we can’t be taking loads of things with us and nor can we do a massive food shop and drive it over to the caravan when we get there which means we have to be pretty savvy when it comes to packing. This year our plan is to take one medium wheelie suitcase, our Cabin Zero hand luggage bag and a backpack. Evie will also have a bag to carry herself. We’ve been doing caravan holidays for ages now but I would love to try a luxury lodge as recommended by Wandermust Family.

Our caravan includes bed linen, duvets and pillows which is perfect as we don’t need to worry about taking those with us however we still need to take towels which I find take up the most amount of space. I try and get those into the case first, laying ours at the bottom and rolling Evie’s towel up as it’s much smaller and thinner. However, caravan holidays don’t come with everything you need. We’ve gone with a slightly more luxury grade caravan for our break which does include more space and a few more things that we wouldn’t need to worry about bringing with us which is great.

Wear Your Heaviest Clothes

I think this is a given no matter where you’re going just to save on space and if you’re flying somewhere, luggage allowance. Wear your heaviest items the day you travel and dress in layers. The annoying thing about public transport is of course having to get on and off so you don’t want so many layers that it gets annoying but enough so that it’s not taking up precious room in your case. I try to them make the rest of our clothes fit as snuggly as possible. Evie and I wear quite thin tops and dresses which are easier to fold and roll but Adam’s t-shirts are a little less flexible and heavier. This time we’re only going for four nights so thankfully don’t need as many outfits, and, we aren’t going anywhere that requires having to dress up which is nice. When it comes to shoes, I usually wear trainers to travel in and pack a pair of flat shoes or flip flops as a spare. I do the same for Evie, getting her to wear heavier shoes and packing her sandals. Adam only has his trainers so we’ve saved a bit of space there as his feet are huge!

Think of the Essentials

For a caravan holiday we then need to consider what we need to bring to the caravan that isn’t provided like washing up liquid, a tea towel, extra toilet paper and a bin bag. For four nights I know we won’t use much of this and we are planning on eating out for dinner each night however, the washing up liquid will be needed for mugs and breakfast things, an extra bin bag is handy and no one should ever run out of toilet paper, especially not on a caravan holiday! You just don’t need that stress! Plus I’m pregnant, I wee about fifty times a day now. It’s needed. Toiletries and hand soap are also needed although I think these can easily be condensed down into smaller bottles. Anti bacterial wipes are also a great thing to pack to give everything a wipe down. An essential for me is absolutely bringing a couple of my favourite tea bags and coffee. I have a small tin that I fill with tea bags and 3 in 1 coffee sachets. I’m not fussed about sugar in tea and a pint of milk is something on our list to buy once we get to the caravan holiday park but having a nice hot cup of coffee after travelling and whilst unpacking everything will be just lovely. Something you might want to consider is a tire pressure monitoring system when travelling by car or if you have a towing caravan.

Consider Pregnancy

We will be away when I’m 28 weeks pregnant and where, hopefully, I can still be relatively comfortable however there are a few things I am considering bringing with me before we go to make sleeping more comfortable. A pregnancy pillow will be really handy as will a small fan to keep me cool, however, again not being driving these are both really bulky things that probably won’t fit in our luggage. I think because of this Adam is going to be sleeping on the sofa bed so we both have a bit more space at night and I am going to get some cooling face spray. Everything else will be as normal, however, it would be a good idea to decide what you want to do and where you want to go before travelling and get an idea of distances, especially if you find walking long distance to be a bit tough. Also, I’ll be taking my maternity notes as a precaution.

Packing for Children

One good thing about a caravan holiday is that you usually have a lot to see and do on site however Evie does sometimes get up quite early when we are away and can get bored whilst waiting to head out. Evie likes to bring her own bag and suitcase and over the years has actually got better at carrying it. This time we’ve said it might be easier if she just takes the one bag or suitcase as we’re only going for four nights and won’t need much. The travelling isn’t as far either with our longest train journey being an hour and a half so not much entertainment equipment is needed. However, I know she’ll want a few things to do in the caravan or if the weather takes a wet turn so we usually pack her tablet and charger, paper, pencil case and a couple of books. Sometimes I get her a small new Lego kit too which I usually let her open when we get to the caravan as it’s a nice new treat for her and keeps her happy whilst we unpack. However, depending on where we are in the park and if it’s still dry when we arrive, hopefully she can have a little play to burn off some of that energy before we eat.

If, like me, you thought you wanted to give your seven year old child a bit of independence and let her pack her own bags…always check them before trusting them. I found Evie had packed 2 pairs of knickers, seven dresses, a bikini, a rubber ring and sunglasses. I swapped a few things around and may have added some extras…

Eat Before You Travel

When it comes to using public transport as a method of getting to your holiday destination you really want to try and eat something hearty before you go. We aren’t leaving until after lunch which means we can have a nice big brunch before getting on our first train and means we will only need a few snacks to keep Evie (mainly) occupied and less grouchy. With a caravan holiday being self catering we know we will have to head to the shops, there’s a Lidl just around the corner from our park, before we can get a good meal though so having had something to keep us going through the travel will be key to surviving. Also, if you have something a bit big before you go, should you encounter any delays, it won’t be as hard on a full stomach.

July 2, 2018