Monthly Highlights | July

Hi, You might have noticed that the blog has been very quiet over the last month. This month I travel to York, Barcelona and London. That much traveling is not relaxing and it didn't help that they where all city breaks as you're always busy. I've been feeling very cultured but lacking any sort of schedule and as such blogging has fallen off my radar. I apologies for the lack of posts and hope to get back into some sort of rhythm again very soon.

Mini goals for July 6/10

• Eat an Instagram worthy ice cream
• Find a new cruelty free favourite
• Document my travels
• Read at least 5 books
• Buy a new board game
• Successfully pack hand luggage
• Plan lots of blog ideas
• Find a happy balance
• Have a cocktail
• Eat Sushi

This month has been amazing for so many reasons and while I might not have completed my monthly goals I've been crossing things off my Summer goals instead. Blog related goals obviously failed as I haven’t blogged. I’m still planning on doing a travel diary post, I just need to sit down and get writing. I’m yet to have a proper brain storm for blog post ideas but this is high on my list of things to do.

While in Barcelona I bought the nicest ice-cream which was chocolate and raspberry, so yummy. No photograph as it was so hot once scooped it started melting everywhere. I managed to cope with just hand luggage and turns out I still packed way more than I needed, it was nice to have options. I’ll feel more confident about packing light next time.

Confession I didn’t buy a board game but my friend did, we’ve been playing King of Tokyo which is so simple but really fun. I’ve totally failed at reading this month having just finished the one book, I totally underestimated how busy I’d be this month. I ate some Sushi and enjoyed a lot of Long Island ice teas, not my favourite cocktail but dam they’re strong.

Hope you're having a lovely summer so far, what have you been up to?

Sam

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10 Tips For Hosting An Outdoor Summer Gathering

Hi, One of my favourite things about the summer months is eating and socialising in the outdoors. I've helped organise a few family BBQ's in the past so I have some helpful tips to share which will hopefully help make it a great day everyone can enjoy including the hosts.

Tips For Hosting An Outdoor Summer Gathering

Dietary Requirements
Not everyone is into the carnivore side of a summer BBQ so it's good practice to have plenty of vegetarian alternative and to ask guested about any special needs they have (these could be health based or life choices but you'll make your guess feel amazing for making sure they are catered for).

Keep it comfortable
Make sure you've got plenty of seating, weather that be picnic blankets or deck chairs. Making guests feel comfortable can only be a good thing right!

Repel the bugs
I live by a river so I know how annoying bugs get. You can set up wasp catchers with old pop bottles and something sugary. In the evening burn Citronella Candles to get rid of midges and other bugs.

Prep as much as possible
Prep food and drinks as much as you can or buy pre-made so you don't spend all day cooking and you can enjoy the party too.

Don't be afraid to ask to BYOB
Organising a gathering can get costly so it's only fair for guest to bring something to contribute to the festivities. It doesn't have to be alcohol, someone could bring their famous secret recipe sauce past down through the generations.

Be weather proof
I'm writing this post in Britain and well you can't totally rule out rain so it's a good idea to have some space that is under cover. Gazebos are great and not that expensive for a standard one, if you're a bit more flush with cash you might consider a party shed (can only dream right?).

Have alcohol replacements
Some people might be driving or others just not wanting to over do it, having a choice of soft drinks or mocktails is a great way to keep everyone happy and ultimately more healthy.

Have some entertainment
In the past we've played games and always had a backing track of the radio playing quietly in the background. Keeping guests entertained means they are going to remember your gathering as great. You could invest in an outdoor board game, twisters always fun.

Parting into the night
If you plan on parting into the small hours make sure you've got plenty of lighting to keep things safe and sociable. Fairy lights make lovely mood lighting, pick up outdoor solar powered ones and you get free energy.

Have taxi numbers at the ready
Not everyone is organised or they don't know the area, having taxi numbers ready for anyone who needs a ride home will save time trying to find one online and you'll be guest free and in bed relaxing a lot quicker.

Have you hosted a summer outdoor gathering? any tips to add?

Sam

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Monthly Mini Goals - July

Hi, It's holiday time! I should already be traveling on my way to York as this post goes live. Hopefully the sun is shining and if it really must rain it will wait until we have pitched the tent (please!). So after last month not being so great I'm all inspired by my travel plans and just the general freedom from my working life (love it but nothing beats a holiday).

Mini goals for July

• Eat an Instagram worthy ice cream
• Find a new cruelty free favourite
• Document my travels
• Read at least 5 books
• Buy a new board game
• Successfully pack hand luggage
• Plan lots of blog ideas
• Find a happy balance
• Have a cocktail
• Eat Sushi

So I couldn't help but have very summer holiday based goals and I was having to reference my 25 summer goals post so I didn't have duplicates because that's just silly. I would love to make a photo diary of my travels but that involves taking photos and I'm just the worst at that because I forget, (traveling is blog post gold right?) I must try really hard or I'll be annoyed with myself.

Time off work means more time for things I really want to do like reading, I need to get ahead with my Goodreads challenge and now's the perfect time. I also want to use my digital detox to inspire me with blog post ideas I'm excited to write. I'm starting to run out of products so I need to find cruelty free alternatives, I plan on checking out what's available in Superdrug.

It's summer so I obviously want ice cream and weirdly I really fancy a trip to Yo!Sushi. There's a really great comic book store in York which sells board games so I want to go check them out and hopefully find something to add to our growing collection.

Do you have anything planed for the summer?

Sam

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Monthly Highlights | June

Hi, This month has flown by, I'm not complaining because that means my holiday starts tomorrow. It's been crazy busy at work so then sitting on my computer at home to blog just seemed like torture, (I love blogging but that's too much screen time) problem of blogging when working full time. June has left me feeling worn out and I can't wait to have some time to relax and rethink things.

Mini goals for June 5/10

• Vote in the EU Referendum
• Go for a walk/Get outdoors
• Get my blog organisation together
• Buy birthday presents
• Eat healthy
• Get everything sorted for my camping trip
• Do an outfit post
• Have a date night
• Do something creative
• Set my Summer goals

I feel like I failed a little this month, time just went by too fast and I wasn’t even the tiniest bit organised. I think the added pressure of creating extra content to cover my travel plans stopped me from blogging at all so I’m sorry about the lack of posts. I’m thinking that the digital detox which is inevitable with camping will clear my mind and hopefully give me loads of inspiration for future posts. I wanted to be super healthy this month and I think I did the opposite, oops. I'm yet to even consider doing an outfit post and adding it to my goals really isn't motivating me. I really want to do a DIY project but I haven't had the time, maybe soon.

So the EU Referendum happened, I voted to stay. I was honestly worried about the outcome, when I woke in the morning to find that the UK had voted to leave my worried where confirmed. I guess the question now is what happens next. I hope our nation can unite and make the changes as smoothly as possible, everything seems so messed up at the moment.

I did manage to get my act together and order some birthday presents so that's one less thing to worry about. We tested fitting the camping gear in the car and to my shock it all fit (it's a different car from last years trip and the boot is tiny). I set my summer goals and I'm already crossing things off. I wish this post was more positive.

Recap/Highlights

• I set myself 25 summer goals to make the most of the summer months
• I did my most favourite Lush review yet when I wrote about the Sea Monster Fun
• I decided to go cruelty free and listed some helpful tips for making the switch

How did you do with your monthly goals?

Sam

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Summer Travel Plans | York, London And Barcelona

Hi, I wanted to share my holiday plans with you, I’m not much of a traveler but it seems that's going to change over the next three weeks. It feels like forever since I had some proper time off work and it's years since I last went abroad so I'm going to make the most of it.

Summer Travel Plans

First I’m off camping on the edge of lovely city of York for four nights. This has become a bit of an annual trip and one that I look forward too as York is such an amazing place to visit. If you haven’t been you really should, you can see what I got up to last year in this post.

July is a month full of birthdays, it's a big birthday for my mum this year so the family decided to jump on a plane and celebrate in a warmer climate. We're going to Barcelona for a four night stay. We've pre-booked some really exciting things to do so I’m super looking forward to all the fun to come but a little worried about getting on a plane again, it’s been years.

After I get back from Barcelona I’ve got a few days back at work before I pack my bags yet again for a long weekend down in London to take in the sights at Hyper Japan. I’ve had it booked for so long now, I can’t wait. While in London I plan to make a trip to the Oxford Lush store and any other London treats that haven’t quite made their way north of the UK.

So there you have it three weeks of almost nonstop holidaying, I want to apologise now because there is going to be a lack of posts during this time but I hope on my return I will have some extra special posts to share with you.

Are you going anywhere nice on holiday?

Sam

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Lush Haul

Hi, Last Sunday I took a little trip into Leeds with my family to go for some food and a few drinks in the city center to celebrate Father’s day. I’m really lucky that it’s only a 20 minuet train ride away so I get to hang out in this amazing city quite often. One thing my home town is missing is a Lush store so whenever I get the chance I have a little stock up on bath time goodies (I need to branch out and try some of the skincare range but I fear for my bank balance).

I bought four bath bombs and almost popped a Brightside bubble bar in my basket but I still have some bubble bar left so resisted. I’d been roughly counting up the price and expected £12 only it was more like £15 and I'm not going to lie I felt a little ill at how much I’d just spent on bath bombs (totally worth it but ouch). I’ll stop rambling and share what I bought with you, expect reviews of the following at some point in the near future.

Sakura - Blooming lovely

This bomb is named after the Japanese cherry blossom tree which it was inspired by. It's a subtle pink bath bomb with these interesting looking green crystals on top. I'm really into anything Japanese inspired so this bomb was high on my list of ones to try. I've heard mixed reviews about the overall aesthetic of this bomb so I can't wait to review it. Containing a mixture of calming Mimosa and Jasmine oils which are complimented by the mixture of Lemon and Orange flower oil to evoke the feeling of the start of spring.

Twilight – Let the sun set on worries

Another bomb I was drawn to because of it's point of inspiration. Lush bath bombs that are inspired by the nights sky and the universe are some of the pretties once in the tube so I had to pick up a Twilight bomb to give ago. This bomb is designed to help you sleep with a mixture of calming and relaxing ingredients including Lavender oil and Ylang Ylang oil.

Lava Lamp – Groovy Baby

I was really excited to the see that lava lamp had been released nationwide for Fathers day as I believe it was an Oxford exclusive until then. I think this is a really interesting looking bomb and something male Lush fans would probably opt for. The name perfectly explains this bath bomb as once it's in the water the purple discs of essential oils melt and create a lava lamp effect on the water. It smells amazingly fresh and very much of citrus because of the Tangerine and Orange flower Oil.

Big Blue – Float Your Cares Away

Amongst all the new bath bombs I wanted to pick up an old favourite so I chose a Big Blue. This is one of the best bombs I've used for actually making my skin feel amazing afterwards. Inspired by the sea this bomb contains kelp (which might sounds a bit gross) and fine sea salt but this bomb really works. It's not just pretty it also has health benefits from all the lovely minerals within the kelp.

Have you tried any of these bath bombs? Which is your favourite?

Sam

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7 Healthy Lifestyle Changes Anyone Can Make

Hi, I have recently been trying to give myself a little bit of a health kick and wanted to share some things which can make us all a little healthier. These are simple things that can easily be worked into your lifestyle and don't require a gym membership.

Healthy Lifestyle Choices Anyone Can Make

Drink More Water
There are so many benefits of drinking water, it's recommended that woman drink 1.6 liters and men 2 liters of water everyday. Some benefits include added concentration, clearer skin and it can even aid weight loss. Keep a bottle of water with you and try setting an alarm to remind yourself to have a drink. Keep it interesting by making fruit infused flavored water, lemon juice is a really nice simple option.

Plan Your Meals
I love to sit down and plan for the week ahead. Planning meals means you can have more control over the food you eat. Having a list to stick to when shopping removes impulse buying and you'll only buy what you need so your bank balance will be a little healthier too.

Cut Out Empty Calories
This relates to the previous point. Eating processed food equals extra calories and added stuff that you don't necessary need to be eating. Start cooking from scratch with fresh ingredient and your food will not only be less calorific but super tasty too.

Walk A Little Further
If you have an office job like myself you'll know how hard it is to keep active. Why not park your car a little further away, get off the bus a stop early, take the steps instead of the lift. Increasing the daily steps you take will make a difference to your overall health.

Get Eight Hours Sleep 
This is an important point and one that I constantly fail on. Get into bed before the time you need to sleep, read a book or get your social media fix but then stop before the eight hour slot of your alarm. Getting your full eight hours means that you'll be more refreshed for the day ahead, which can only be a positive.

See More Of Nature
Get out and about, nature is one of the best natural remedies. Getting some sunshine will boast your vitamin D supply and generally walking and sightseeing in the outdoors will lift your mood. Find a tranquil spot and have a picnic or go visit a beach to watch some crashing waves.

Make Time For You

Mental health is just as important as physical health so make sure you take some proper time to truly unwind. It doesn't matter what you do as long as it's making you happy and giving you a break from the reality of the general day to day.

I hope these tips/ideas are helpful, is there anything you would add?

Sam

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