The benefits of working or taking an internship aboard

*This post contains affiliate links One of the best things I did when I was in my twenties was spending a few years working abroad, in fact, I have lived and worked in South Africa, Edinburgh, Amsterdam and Nice in the South of France before settling near Cardiff in Wales. I feel this taught me so much and gave me a lot of life experience as well as making fantastic friends from around the world, many of which I am still in touch with as well as experiencing an array of cultures, new foods, traditions and people. For me, it was more about diving into the hospitality industry and earning while travelling as much as I could and I'm so glad I was able to do that, so while I didn't develop my skill set necessarily as hospitality was never a long term goal, it was one of the best life experiences I had and I got to really get to know a city from both a traveller and a residents point of view.  Another option for those who are career focused is taking an overseas internship, which i......

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How to Celebrate a Friend's Birthday from afar when travelling

*This post contains affiliate links  Do you have a faraway friend with a birthday on the horizon? Whether they have moved away permanently or either you or they are travelling, there are still many ways to let them know you are thinking of them and celebrate their special day. While it might not be the same as seeing them in person, it’s still important to let them know how much they mean to you and to everyone who is part of their lives. From the pandemic to cross-country relocations, friends are there for each other — no matter what! From sending a personalized care package to toasting to their big day virtually, here is how to celebrate a friend’s birthday from afar.  Send a Personalized Care Package   One thoughtful way to celebrate a friend’s birthday from afar is to send them a care package. It’s super easy to do and is sure to make them smile. Put together a personalised care package with selected items and add a sentimental birthday card, too.  There is a wi......

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What 2021 means for those looking for love, companionship and friendship

Collaborative/Advetorial post Well 2020 threw the curveball none of us expected and suddenly we saw our social life dwindle and the idea of making new meaningful connections become even more challenging. We all had to get use to socially distancing ourselves from anyone outside of our family unit for nearly most of the year while getting to grips with Zoom calls and virtual hangouts with friends. Not ideal when your on the dating scene or have moved to a new city and want to strike up new friendships but not all is lost, there is a glimmer of hope for normality in 2021 even when things feel very up in the air at the moment. The roll-out of the vaccine will have an impact, it may take months to see this impact start to work but it means we can start to look towards the future with a bit more excitement. 2020 did, however, teach us a lot of things, many of us started to prioritise our needs, friendships, our own self-care as well as our time. It's made many aware of what they really......

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6 Meaningful Ways to Fit More Exercise Into Your Life

Sometimes it seems there isn't enough time in the day to do everything. Most of the time, people tend to prioritize other tasks and forget to take care of their health. However, there are many ways to fit small exercises into a busy schedule throughout the day. If you wake up slightly earlier, you can easily gain some precious minutes to work out or go jogging. But in case you need some extra motivation, finding a willing companion might be the best course of action. Another option would be to enjoy the outdoors and engage your kids in some outside games, in fact I've written a post before about some ideas on keeping fit with your kids . Exercise Early in the Morning The easiest way to find more time to exercise is to create it. By waking up 30 minutes earlier, you have now created enough time to go for a walk or jog around the block. Some people plan their workout in advance by setting out their workout clothes, running shoes, and water bottle the night before s......

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My Health and Wellbeing Goals for 2018

So when the New Year rolled in I decided to not make a huge list of definitive resolutions because often these resolutions can become a focus for failure when we don't achieve them. I do feel however that I need to address the fatigue and stress that became too much in the latter of last year. I know that improvements do need to be made although being a mother of two those changes need to be realistic with the long term in mind not just a quick fix, I did a post about 3 changes everyone should make and really just wanted to expand on that. So I wanted to focus on simple changes that will have a big impact and I know I can find time to fit into my busy life. 1. Staying Hydrated Making sure you drink enough water seems simple enough but I know I let this slip-on occasions but this year I am aiming to really be on top of it. I now have a reusable water bottle I carry with me at all times meaning I have no excuse to not stay hydrated throughout the day. It's just such ......

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An open letter to my Best Friend and Cancer

As many of you probably already know October is a pretty important month for all us ladies as its Breast Cancer Awareness month and with 1 in 8 women being diagnosed with Breast cancer and 1 in 3 being diagnosed with some type of cancer in their lifetime means that either yourself or someone you know will be directly affected by this undiscriminating disease. Mission Deli who have turned the packaging of their wraps pink for the month of October are donating £50 000 towards Breast Cancer Care from the sales of these special packs and recently got in touch with me asking me to express the importance of friendship during trying times life throws at you. When affected like something like breast cancer friendship becomes so important with over half of women stating they couldn't get through such hard times without the support of friends. I lost my Aunt to treat cancer a few years ago but this year the big C word crept up into my life in the most unexpected way when I suddenly g......

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Puffin Rock is coming to the UK

When it comes to screen time we are pretty particular about what Mr A watches, we like to keep things age appropriate and preferably educational or with some life lessons, as well as anything that may inspire creativity or friendship. I think by vetting everything first we can view screen time as a positive thing rather than a negative so we are always excited when we hear about a show that fits our ethos and can't wait to watch the first episode of Puffin Rock coming to Nick Jr this Monday at 6:30pm Puffin Rock is an Irish animation all about a Puffin called Oona who is learning about the world around her while going on adventures on the wild and rugged island she lives on with her little brother and three friends, Children are encouraged to learn and reflect through Oona's own explorations in this beautiful crafted animation with its gentle and soft tones and educational values that make it perfect for the bedtime slot. It's really lovely seeing a nat......

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Camping in West Wales

Over the bank holiday we joined a few friends camping right on the tip of the West coast of Wales in beautiful St Davids - the UK's smallest city, really it's just a quaint and picture perfect seaside village but with a very impressive Cathedral that really takes your breath away. Even though we knew it was going to rain during half our trip it really made no difference to us, in fact it made it more of an adventure and there is nothing better than cosying up inside your lovely dry tent while it rains outside - there is something very natural about that. It was also lovely for Mr A to have so many friends to play with - all of different ages and at one point because of the rain they all piled into one tent and all that could be heard was laughter. He really is a very happy little camper. I also love to cook on our little campaign stove and how everything becomes very slow such as waiting for the water to boil for morning coffee - there is something w......

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A Boy and his Dog

Just before the cold snap came in we had a little walk up on the greenbelt called The Common only a short drive away. It's a lovely place, nice and quite with a view over the town and we always find lots of little bugs like ladybirds and different kind of spiders in the reeds, as well as Holly and Blackberries. There are also Druid circles up on the common with a really old rock called the "Rocking stone". My mother came along for the walk and so did Mr A's best friend in the whole world - our family sheepdog Sam. We are so lucky to have Sam, he is such a pleasant and kind natured dog who has the patience of a saint when it comes to Mr A. He is getting on in age and between the two of them they almost walk at the same pace and there friendship is something of beauty and pure love and it truly will be a very sad day when Sam is no longer with us. It's been wonderful to see there friendship grow over the past 3 years and Mr A is very protective of ......

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