Hi All, I am the owner of a Samoyed named Deizel, who basically resembles a miniature Polar Bear and with him comes a lot of shedding because he is an indoor dog, which means I spend 50% of my day hoovering.
I hated dragging around my big old hoover and plugging it in only to leave it in the hallway as I would need it 40 more times during the day. The Dyson Cordless Hoover sounded like heaven to me and I knew I needed one. A hoover that hung on the wall ready and waiting whenever I needed it, perfection! So on Christmas morning last year my lovely Dad (probably sick of listening to me give out about the dog hair) arrived like Santa Claus with a Dyson Cordless Hoover, (Usually I would hate this kind of present) and I was never in my life so excited to HOOVER!
When the excitement of Christmas day died down I finally opened it and there was just enough charge to have a go and see what it was like. Straight away I was in love, my house was going to be so clean and dog hair free. Fast forward to now and I am still in love with it and I still enjoy hoovering, its so easy and hassle free. The only downside that I have come across is when you want to be lazy and hoover up that big sweet wrapper or leaf instead of picking it up, well now I have to pick it up, it is perfect for hoovering up dust and everyday house dirt but when it comes to bigger things I would usually hoover, not so good. It is expensive, so is it worth it? Yes in my opinion definitely, if you are a dog owner you will love it and if you hate hoovering you will also love it, I don't think I will ever go back to the traditional hoover.
Hello, I'm back again, If you read my 'About Me' post you will know I suffer from Graves' disease, if you didn't read it well you know now. This post will be about how I was diagnosed and how I have dealt with it since.
I gave birth to my son in July 2014 and dealt with new Mama exhaustion for the first few weeks and although I got used to being a Mammy pretty quickly I also got used to being tired ALL the time. It wasn't until my son was around 6 months old coming up to Christmas when I started to realise how I was feeling wasn't right, I no longer had a new born and was well settled into my new way of living at that stage. I looked and felt awful all of the time, my hair was still falling out, dry and breaking every time I brushed it, my face was dull and tired looking, I had little to no energy, I was having palpitations, no appetite and just generally felt like sh*t everyday even though it was supposed to be one of the happiest and most exciting times of my life. As a teenager I had suffered with thyroid issues but never severe enough that I needed treatment. I started googling my symptoms (I know I know, never google) but I eventually found that your thyroid can actually flare up after giving birth, I said this has to be whats wrong with me and straight away I made an appointment to get a full blood count done.
When the results came back my TSH levels were through the roof which then meant I had an Over-Active Thyroid, I was referred to a consultant who gave me my actual diagnosis of Hyperthyroidism due to Graves' Disease. Hyperthyroidism is a disorder in which your thyroid gland makes and releases more thyroid hormone than your body needs. Hormones released by the thyroid affect nearly every part of your body from your brainto your skinand muscles. They play a crucial role in controlling how your body uses energy, a process called metabolism. This includes how your heart beats and even how you burn calories. So I had gotten a diagnosis, straight away I started on my thyroid medication and also a beta blocker to stop my heart racing. Months passed and I wasn't feeling any better and overtime I went back to my consultant my blood count wasn't changing and my medication was being upped everytime. Eventually after almost a year I got back good blood results and I started to see small differences, I wasn't as tired and my appetite was slowly coming back. I was finally on the right track, I have visits with my consultant every three months, and by the time the next appointment had come around all my results were going the right way and I was able to come off the beta blockers. Its almost a year an a half after my diagnosis and only now am I starting to get my life back on track, my skin looks better and my face looks more alive, my hair has stopped falling out and is slowly growing back, its still very dull and brittle so it needs constant TLC. I definitely have more energy now and thank god for that because toddlers aren't easy. I am on a long road to recovery still, its not easy and some days are great, other days I still can't get out of bed and I pray that my son naps during the day so I can too.
Having a baby while suffering from any health problem isn't easy, I struggled a lot after I had my son but I had great help and support from my family and I never pushed myself to be Super-Mam, when I was tired I slept and some days I'd only wake when my son would wake for a feed and I'd go back to sleep as soon as he had. I do feel guilty over not being able to do some things with my him, often we would have to miss his swimming class or cancel breakfast with Nanny because I just didn't have the energy but what I didn't know then is how serious Graves' can be if left untreated and I try to remind myself that my son needs a happy healthy Mammy, and he won't remember the swimming class that he missed when he was 10 months old but as he gets older he will remember more and thankfully I am going the right way to be back to full health by the time he can. Just because I have no physical symptoms doesn't mean I am not suffering, chronic illness is a real thing no matter what form you suffer from. Don't suffer in silence, and don't put everything down to being a new mother. If you feel in your heart something isn't right well trust your gut, if I hadn't of figured out what was wrong with me I could have gone undiagnosed for god knows how long. I am on a learning journey everyday with my Graves' and if anyone is suffering similarly I am always here to talk or share more of my story if I can. If you have any questions please leave them in the comments or email me directly at lifeoflyndablog@gmail.com
Hello again, Now I'm no make-up artist but when it comes to the latest trends I am all over them. I love trying new products from foundations to mascaras and everything in between. I have owned at least 100 foundations at this stage and never found one I absolutely loved and went out especially to repurchase, however lately I have found 2 that I really really like.
Me and my problem skin have always avoided matte foundations but now I wish I never did. I have started using L'oréals Infallible 24h-Matte foundation along with the L'oréal Infallible Mattifying Base. This combination has worked perfectly for my skin. I really love the primer it is definitely one of the best I have used and the foundation sits perfectly with it for a flawless look. The foundation has great coverage and even hides all my ugly breakouts.
When it comes to contouring with a matte foundation I find powders work better as the cream ones tend to hug the foundation and become cement like making it impossible to blend, so when using this foundation I use my Sleek Face Form palette and it works a treat. And the days where I am having a bad skin day I spray some Botanics Instant Moisture Mist onto my beauty blender to make it
For the days I don't want full coverage, when my skin is in good condition I just want something light and dewy even for days when I don't have time to spend ages on my face this is perfect. Recently I purchased the Bourjois City Radiance foundation its a skin protecting foundation with a brightening effect which also has SPF30, Anti-Pollution screen and Radiance-Boosting Pigments. I bought this as I have summer holidays coming up and wanted something that would give me a dewy look with minimal effort and this does just that, the coverage is great and hides my blemishes without looking like I am wearing any foundation. So if you are looking for a new foundation and have problem skin like me I would really give these two a try and they won't break the bank either, its a win win.
Being the Mammy of toddler is hectic and dinner is not always a fancy home cooked meal, more a grab whats in the freezer dinner or a lazy take away, but this recipe is a hit in my house, so easy and my absolute favourite.
*Parma Chicken Noodles What you need:
1 tablespoon of butter
500g chicken breast (diced or cut into strips)
150g sundried tomatos in oil (chopped)
4 cloves of garlic (peeled and crushed)
300ml double cream
1 cup shaved parmesan
Noodles
Salt to taste
Dried basil
Red chilli flakes
1. Heat the butter in a pan. Add the chicken and sprinkle with salt. Cook until chicken is golden brown and cooked through. 2. Add sundries tomatoes with 1 tablespoon of oil from the jar (optional), and add garlic, sauté until fragrant. 3. Lower heat, add cream and the parmesan, simmer while stirring until the cheese has melted through. Sprinkle over salt, basil and chilli flakes to your taste. 4. Add noodles and continue to simmer until the noodles are cooked (5-8 minutes) Thats it, that is my go to fancy 'I made an effort' dinner.
