Happy things & importance of having things to look forward to

Life with chronic illness is very difficult. Day in day out plagued by symptoms is really no fun. It is very easy to fall into a dark hole & struggle to get out of it so if you find something that makes you feel happy then you need to grab onto it! So bearing that in mind I wanted to mention a couple of things which have been making me smile recently. I don't often buy things for me so I have been treating myself for a change!

If you have read my recent posts you will know how much I like Crown and Glory hair accessories. They have a monthly subscription called The Glitterati run by the super sparkly Sophie King who owns Crown & Glory. I joined a few months ago & for £20 per month you get a box full of goodies worth at least £50. Bargain!

Now it's always nice getting happy post but knowing at the start of each month a box of amazingness will be arriving is rather exciting!  Not only that but there is a secret Facebook group for members where we chat, share pictures & can also swap any unwanted items. Everyone is so so lovely too so it's been really nice meeting new people. It is quite amusing when we know the postie should be bringing the sparkly box.. we (well I definitely do!) seem to turn into a crazy window-watching-postman-stalkers!!

I wasn't exaggerating that the box is sparkly...

Inside there is always a mix of different hair things, some totally exclusive to the Glitterati & not available online.  The last few months have been sponsored by other places too so we've had extra lovely things in them.

The latest box was a Christmas themed one & if you like pretty things & sparkle I think you will share my appreciation of it!

Of course my daughter also loves wearing the stuff & even though I am not well enough to go out very often, who says you can't adorn your head with beautiful creations even if you're in bed ;-)


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Another monthly subscription I have been admiring (or rather drooling over) online for a while now, but only just signed up to, is Lucky Dip Club. I first found out about it on Instagram - link here - when I spotted it on someone's feed. I can spend ages looking at the pictures as it's all so lovely & quirky & fabulous! For £15 per month you get a box full of gorgeous kitsch goodies made by the very talented Leona. Each month has a different theme, there is always lots of positive quotes & a personalised item in each box. The presentation of everything in the funky packaging she uses is almost as exciting as what's inside!

They sell out really quickly when they become available each month & you can either buy a single monthly box for £18 or you can have a rolling subscription so you ensure you don't miss out on the next one.

The latest box was a "Kitschmas" one & to my excitement it had lots of glitter & bows in it! There were a couple of DIY garlands so I have done them with my daughter & it was lots of fun. I have just found out January's theme is unicorns, seriously excited about that one!

I know there are various beauty subscriptions that people are fans of & probably loads of other things too so if you want to share I'd be interested in knowing. Although I think two addictions is plenty enough already!!


ME Mummy A
xx

Charity!

With it being the time of year where our kids get loads of presents I started thinking about children who don't have anything & decided that it was time to have a toy clear out. Rather than take stuff to a charity shop I wanted to find somewhere direct who would benefit.

I found out about a local refuge & when I spoke to them they were extremely grateful that we were going to take some stuff there. It is the first time they will be doing Christmas for the children there & they said they would use the stuff we gave as presents for them.

When we took everything (we dealt with the ladies in the office) my daughter was so sweet & helped them put the toys into boxes. She said she wanted to work there! They said they couldn't even begin to tell us what a difference it would make. They had even written a lovely thank you letter for my little girl & it made me feel really emotional.

It really moved me & the thought of children with nothing made me feel really sad.  So I have been asking around friends to see if anyone has any stuff they no longer want so I can take it there again before Christmas (we are going in a few days but they don't know yet!)

As well as toys & clothes I am trying to get as many selection boxes as possible as they are doing a bit of a campaign for them to put in stockings for the children on Christmas day. They said they had some advent calendars donated a few weeks ago & seeing the children's reactions was amazing. One little boy was shaking with excitement as he'd never had one before. Just heartbreaking.  I contacted a few local supermarkets to see if they could help but they are already donating to other places.

If anyone local who knows me wants to donate anything let me know. Thank you x

Something else I heard about through a friend of mine was a campaign a Leeds fashion blogger called Gabby is doing. She is working alongside Leeds Children's Charity 'to give young people the gift of fashion this Christmas'! I donated a big bag of clothes & a few accessories & I can't wait to see what she does with the things I gave her to create new outfits. The link to her blog with the details is here.  Knowing people who wouldn't be able to afford new clothes will be having new outfits given makes me feel all warm & fuzzy.

I know it isn't much but knowing I have helped less fortunate people a little bit makes me feel happy. It doesn't take much & the difference it makes to these people is vast.  If everyone donated one thing imagine how much it would help?

Thanks for reading.
ME Mummy A
xx

Who says wheelchairs can't look good!

A while ago I mentioned that I had a new wheelchair which I was making some decorative adjustments to! That seems like ages ago now & I have been meaning to post some pictures of how it looks so here goes...

I decided not to go too over the top with colour, much to my own surprise... I actually love it & for the first time since having to use a wheelchair I don't feel embarrassed as I am no longer using a battered-rusty-falling apart-old thing!! So here is my lovely new companion, that is yet to have a name (!)

I used zebra print Duck Tape for the black & white.  Their UK website is here but you can buy on Ebay or Amazon & also Asda stock it.  I bought some silver crystals on Ebay which are described as for laptops but can be used to decorate anything.  They were really easy to use & can be cut to size then just stuck on.  I can't say it was a totally stress free job as I had to change my mind about the pattern I wanted originally on the sides as I couldn't get them to sit flush but I prefer it how it is now!

I have had lots of compliments from people when I've been out in it. I mean, who doesn't like a bit of bling!  When we went to Blackpool Zoo recently one of the people working there told me I had the perfect design for being there & I even had a sneaky picture taken with the zebras!!

My friend Hayley (who blogs here & since I starting writing this has been featured in 4 National newspapers raising awareness of M.E!!) did a visual campaign for M.E Awareness Week here & inspired me to have a few pictures done showing how you can still (yes, really!) look good in a wheelchair.  I am planning something else but for now here are a few snaps of me when I first decorated it.  I wish I could say I actually wear the heels however I don't!!! They live on a shelf in my bedroom for purely eye candy purposes. Crazy? Maybe. But I love them & had to have them, even if just for show!

Disability doesn't mean you should be invisible. And it certainly doesn't mean you can't look good.

Thanks for reading.

ME Mummy A
xx

A few of my favourite things

This week hasn't been the best for a few reasons but I am trying to focus on positive stuff.  I also think that when you're living with chronic illness it is really important to have happy things to keep you going.  So, I thought I would share a few of my favourite things.. things that make me smile. Other than my daughter as that's a given!

Top of the list I think has to be sparkle! Everyone who knows me knows how much of a magpie I am.. I am just drawn to glitter & anything sparkly. If I could I would live in a glittery wonderland where everything just sparkled & I would be permanently smiling! However as that is only ever likely to happen in a fairytale, the best I can do is adorn my hair, body & anything else I own with as much of it as possible. It appears I have passed my love for sparkle on to my daughter too. Hurrah!

Another favourite thing of mine is nail polish.  I have loads of it & a special storage unit for it all! Well, the stuff I can fit in it anyhow. I used to bite my nails when I was younger so seem to have gone OTT with it now I have decent nails. Obviously my favourite kind of polish is glittery!!

I also love bows. Anything & everything bow shaped I just have a thing for. So imagine my joy when I discovered Crown & Glory, who make the most amazing glittery hair bows. I have rather an impressive collection going on now despite only finding out about them a few months ago!!

Vintage stuff makes me smile. I love things like china teacups.. they are just so pretty. My mum-in-law got me one last Christmas & I adore it.  It would be amazing to have a separate room to turn into a den full of vintage loveliness! I love looking at all the different stuff on Instagram.

As well as vintage I also love kitsch stuff. I've always liked things that are rather quirky. There is some amazing jewellery out there & I love anything that's a bit different. I probably spend far too long sometimes looking through pages of it on Instagram. Can you see a pattern forming?!!

I can't do a post about some of my favourite things & not mention the one & only Keith Lemon! He cracks me up & just in case anyone missed it here is a picture of me when I met him the other week!!! Blog post about it here :-)

Make up, bags & shoes are an obvious thing to like but it's true that a lady can never have enough of any of it!! Yes we really do need that shiny new lipstick even though we have hundreds already... and those shoes. No of course they don't look anything like that other pair I have but hardly ever wear ;-)

I can't finish this post without mentioning my friends. They are just awesome & I am so grateful for them. Any of you who don't know how much I value your friendship then I am telling you now. ☆♡☆♡☆
Laughter, craziness, tears.. whatever it is, they are there & we get each other through. I think having good friends is even more important than having lots of shoes ;-)

What are your favourite things? If you say glitter then have a big high five from me!

ME Mummy A
xx