A Day In The Life Of Lauren

Today's post is going to be a little bit different from my usual. It's not going to get deep, so do not worry. However, I'm going to be talking about how I like to keep my mind fit during the Winter months where, especially in the north, the dark nights creep in. It's cold, it's wet and it's miserable. Couple that with going to work in the dark and coming home in the dark ends up having an all round negative effect on your thoughts, your mood and your overall mental health.  I have to admit that Winter is my all time favourite season. With that said, I do tend to suffer most in the Winter. It's a busy time of year for everyone! You spend months before Christmas, shopping, gift giving and exchanging, nights out, attending pantomimes, concerts and Christmas shows, carol singing, writing endless lists of things to do to make Christmas perfect for everyone - which happen to be something which i LOVE to do! I love shopping and getting into the spirit of Christm

So this week I have decided to fill you in with some delicious recipes which I have been trying out after changing to a gluten and dairy free diet. **Just a little disclaimer to let you peeps know, this is not a fad or a fashion trend.  I haven't decided to go gluten and dairy free because it's what everyone is doing these days. I went and had a consultation with an intolerance practitioner because my health was rapidly going down hill. Nothing too serious, just various things that medicine couldn’t help me with. So I decided to take the complimentary method to see if that would work. This might not work for everyone but it has made a HUGE difference to my holistic health and the basic things we take for granted like nice skin, strong nails and hair!** First off I should let you in on the foods that I'm intolerant to. This is not to bore you all, i swear! It’s just to prove that although at the start you can think your diet is limited (which it is to an e

Instead of doing a monthly favourites, I've decided to stick to a seasonal favourites, because, normally I'm so busy in my day to day life that I don't take that much notice of what I've used in which month and I would drive myself mad trying to work out it. So this week, saying as we are well on our way into autumn, I thought I would relive my summer and discuss the kinds of things I was enjoying at that time! Enjoy! Aussie hair range - this Summer, I decided to give Aussie another go! I have used Aussie products in the past but because I like to rotate the products I use on my hair, I had forgotten all about it! However, I found out this Summer, that a few of the staple items of my routine were in-fact Aussie! - Festival fresh dry shampoo . I'm not really a fan of dry shampoo if I'm being perfectly honest. However, when I found this one - I really liked it. It's a little bit more expensive but still within a reasonable price range at £4.49 and does

ImageCopyright of Dr. Josh Axe (2016) This week's post has taken a slight diversion from my norm (whatever normal is!) I'm going to be discussing the effects of modern living and the effect it has on our bodies.   Without this sounding too much like a pity party, I'm going to quickly give you an insight into why my blog has suddenly taken a different direction. This week I have been off work for the third time with sickness. When I wasn't being violently sick, everyday I felt nauseous , generally unwell, tired, sluggish, had pain in my abdomen, brain fog and a lack of focus and to top it all off - cherry on the cake - was extremely bloated after every meal. The sickness was a relatively new development with all the rest of the 'ailments' just something I put up with for years. However, three weeks with what i thought was a sick bug and various trips to the doctor which showed I didn't have an intolerance to gluten or diabetes, thyroid problems or a blood dis

Tomorrow I am back at work after the summer break. It's not the work aspect that I'm dreading, it's getting back into a routine whereby I wake up long enough to do all the things I have to do before heading out the door!! I am not a morning person and I always end up calculating how long i could leave my alarm so that I have just enough time to get ready. In the end, I end up rushing around like a headless chicken and running out the door with a smoothie in hand on my way to work. Every.Single.Morning. Being organised, however, can make me feel a little less stressed and if I have a clear desk space, I feel like I have a clear mind. So this week,  I thought I would write a short blog post on the little bits and pieces I managed to collect over the holidays ready for the next term, because I love stationery and like getting quirky bits and pieces to have at home and at work. All products in this range feature the trademark Ted Baker bow. Price: £19.96   I'm

I have been loving homeware products recently. I don't know why. I bought a book on interiors and I've been reading through it so maybe that has sparked my interest? I also felt that this summer, the shops had some lovely things in for your home and I couldn't resist buying them, especially if I got a bargain! I feel that homeware is something so personal and everyone has their own ideas and opinions. So today, I thought I would share with you some of my favourite picks of my latest splurges in home accessories. Enjoy. xoxo These beautiful multi-coloured plastic tumblers caught my eye in Marks and Spencer's and I thought they would be perfect for a Summer picnic! They were such a steal at only £3 each! These stunning sequined and patterned copper cushions were from Primark and  only £7.00 each. They complement each other well and are different shapes (the sequin one

Sunday the 16th of July was National Friendship Day which coincided with a trip to see one of my life long friends! We had arranged to go and see a stage show of one of our favourite childhood books which was taking place at Eden Court Theatre on Saturday the 15th of July. After a little bit of shopping, we headed for dinner and then onto the theatre.  The Railway Children Live is an adapted stage show of E Nesbitt's tale and included an interesting array of theatrical techniques and staging.  The mid cloth was set up to project different still and moving pictures to help set the scene - this included the family at their home in London, the Perks' house and the railway station itself, with moving pictures of steam trains with an added smoke machine offstage to help give some realism to the set. Two old fashioned levers set up DSL and DSR,used by the cast, proved useful in effectively transitioning each scene and the fast paced scene changes were meaningful for

This week I'm going to chat about some of my favourite children's books!  I think it's so important to immerse children in literature from an early age. This gets their imaginations running, their speech and language rolling, their sense of humour in gear as well as it being a great and special time for you to bond with your child. Here are some of my favourites! Enjoy. 'Fantastically great women who changed the world' by Kate Pankhurst. Coming from a woman who - as a sassy, flighty, young girl - could not relate to many female characters in her childhood books - I would've loved to have had this book back when I was small! Women in my childhood stories  were always portrayed as the weaker sex, always  needed 'saving' and couldn't be the hero, didn't fight back or show any gusto... This book, however, is set to squash all that. It details all the amazing women in history who have made an incredible difference to the world as we now know it -