Have you met Danny on Dream Big and found all the work he does to inspire and engage us in the blogging world? Take a look……
Category: chronic illness
Review of Roomba 630- Is it Worth the Price? from Darci at Life UnPlanned Blog
I belong to a great group for giving practical advice for Mom Bloggers – Life Unplanned – run by the lovely Darci. She has just reviewed a cordless, robotic vacuum cleaner and it sounds great, particularly for my Spoonie pals! I want one…..
“Are your floors a hot mess? Do you struggle to manage your entrepreneurial duties with maintaining your home in a somewhat presentable state? I try… lord, I try. And I’ve found the most exciting appliance that will make you feel on your game and spoiled at the same time. The Roomba 630 is a basic model iRobot Vacuum-Cleaning Robot. That’s right, it’s a robot that vacuums for you! Say what? Hallelujah! When I heard the concept, I just had to have one.
The Roomba has technology that navigates throughout your home, has an advanced 3-Stage cleaning system with brushes that reach into corners and suction your floors, simple one-button start, automatic dock and recharge, and vacuums over all floor surfaces including, carpet, tile, hardwood, and laminate without a glitch.
(This post contains affiliate links for your convenience. See my full disclosure policy here.)
PERSONAL EXPERIENCE
My reason for originally trying the Roomba was that I’d had to have surgery on both hands, which made it very difficult to push a traditional vacuum. The Roomba was gifted to me, and I’ve never looked back!……..”
FOR FULL REVIEW PLEASE GO TO LIFE UNPLANNED BLOG – ROOMBA REVIEW
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Monday Magic – Inspiring Blogs for You!
Good Morning!
I hope that you are all ready for another week – tennis at Wimbledon, more sun, heat and BBQs, and for many the end of the school term and for some the beginning of the long summer holidays. So I really shouldn’t moan about this heat wave that we have in the south of the UK, but it is really sending my POTS/dysautonomia off the scale. Please send me all your top tips and I will put a post together – funny tips too please!
Anyway I bought a big straw hat – not easy when you have inherited the family huge head! – and have been away for a couple of days with my parents to visit my brother at his new house. We are talking brand new – living on a building site would aptly describe the estate at the moment – and my sister-in-law still has a lot of boxes to unpack. Think I would be correct in saying mainly make up and bling…..she won’t be offended! We were taken to the school play and end of year prize giving on Thursday, which was an incredibly hot day. The children, aged 5 – 11, did a fantastic job of an interesting amalgamation of Romeo & Juliet, Peter Pan and the Cow who wanted to grow Sunflowers – beautiful costumes! The whole event took place in a marquee – small Oxfordshire private school – and the heat during the afternoon was horrendous. I think maybe the head should have adjusted her speech….shortened it!!
Anyway, despite being armed with said hat, water and the salt grinder from my brother’s kitchen, Auntie Claire had already fainted on leaving the portaloo. But I completely stole the show at the end of the day with a fantastic backwards faint when standing up from my wheelchair to get into the car. I came round on the gravel carpark floor surrounded by faces….not just those of my family! There was a parent who is a doctor, the school nurse, a teacher……and my mum trying to explain POTS, my spinal cord stimulator etc etc…..and please don’t call an ambulance!! The school nurse was quite excited, having come to these events for years and having nothing to do. As a fellow nurse I loved this
!
Like many of you, I have spent the weekend feeling constantly giddy and last night managed to pop a hip and dislocate the knee and ankle on the same leg – the joys of EDS. So whilst I should be at a governors’ visit day at our local primary school – Duncan would not let me go unless I could weight bear – I am instead sitting with leg up and finding some great posts for you. The final You tube video comes from a young vlogger who appeared on the BBC yesterday morning to discuss organ donation in the UK – he has cystic fibrosis and is awaiting a lung transplant. This post is about living with a chronic illness as a teen.
Time for your cuppa and relaxation time with some inspiring posts! Enjoy!
http://alifewellred.com/embrace-the-years-with-dignity-and-beauty/
http://xofaith.com/boost-your-confidence-beyonce-edition/
http://www.fromthispointforward.com/2017/07/facing-forward-jayne.html?m=1
http://www.thepaincompanion.com/blog/dancing-through-pain-to-freedom
http://bladder-help.com/role-hormones-bladder-health/
https://itrippedoverastone.com/2017/07/07/what-my-husband-said-to-me/
https://neurodivergentrebel.com/2017/07/07/lets-talk-take-a-break/
https://picnicwithants.com/2017/07/05/floaters-and-flashers/
https://theedschronicles.com/2017/07/06/model-with-eds-uses-her-condition-to-stand-out/
Please remember to like posts and follow these great bloggers!
Claire x
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Monday Magic – Inspirational Blogs for You!
Happy Monday, Pain Pals!
A levels finished last week for the sixth form student and that meant another end to an era marked by Prom hosted at the Queen’s Stand, Epsom Downs. The preparations weren’t quite as intricate in our house as they were in those of friends with daughters – hair, false nails, spray tans, pencilling the eyebrows just right, different dresses for every girl…the list goes on! A new suit was purchased along with matching tie and shoes……and he did have a haircut the day before which he says was coincidence, but I do wonder! Anyway he scrubbed up pretty well and the Charlie’s Angel style pics are typical – the girls and the boys posed in very different ways. I don’t understand the sticking out the bum thing that seems to have the replaced the fish pout. Must be getting old….
So only one child left at school now, and she is gutted that the student engineer is coming to live back at home for his 4th year – “I thought I was going to have the house to myself, Mum!”. He is currently balancing the cost of living in London with the savings of moving home but living with us….not to mention us having to cope with having him back again full time. We love him dearly, but the mess, the fussy eating, the mood swings – he is such a drama queen!! I am well aware that I seem to be describing a toddler, who is actually 21!!
My writing has been a bit non existent this week, but I have found another 10 blogs that are new to Monday Magic and I hope that you enjoy them as much as I have. It never fails to surprise me just how many wonderful writers there are out there in the chronic community and how we all support each other. But these posts are equally inspiring for everyone, ill or not – I love to find inspiring blogs, about different subjects, through link up parties that I might never ordinarily find. So sit down with a cuppa and enjoy getting to know some new bloggers!
http://www.balancedespitethechaos.com/blog/new-dr
https://achronicspoonful.wordpress.com/2017/06/30/on-being-functional/
https://lennaesworld.com/2017/07/03/goal-kicking-4-years-on/
http://katethealmostgreat.com/30-things-about-living-with-pots/
https://janaowlfdesigns.blogspot.co.uk/2017/06/when-your-brain-decides-to-shutdown.html
http://herviewfromhome.com/lets-admit-that-marriage-isnt-a-fairy-tale/
http://www.bbhwithms.com/married-disease-relationship-multiple-sclerosis/
http://chronicmomlife.com/overcome-depression/
http://www.trippingonair.com/2017/06/ms-relapse-9-ways-to-survive-steroids.html
https://highrisk1.wordpress.com/2017/06/26/my-first-mania-rash/
Hope you enjoy these posts and comment/follow for these great writers. If you have a suggestion for an Inspiring post to be included in Monday Magic, send me a line!
Enjoy
Claire x
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Balanced Belly Book Club: The Good Gut Guide by Liz Earle
I think you already know that I like a book review and as someone who is increasingly suffering with gut problems, this piece by Jen nutritional therapist at A Balanced Belly blog jumped out at me. Might be heading off in search of a new book this afternoon…..
“This month’s balanced belly book club review is….. The Good Gut Guide by Liz Earle.
What is it?
The Good Gut Guide is written by skincare guru Liz Earle (think that seems a bit random? Well it’s not really. I’ve blogged before about how our skin is very much connected to our gut) It really is a guide in every sense of the word- it offers sections on the science of our gut microbiome, practical how-to guides (with everything from a probiotic face mask to fermenting foods for dummies), a week by week programme and, of course, lots of recipes.
What I Liked About
I apologise for the gushing and can assure you that not every book review will be littered with over the top praise, but this is truly one of the best books I’ve read about gut health……”
For the full review please follow link: The Balanced Belly Book Club – review The Good Gut Guide
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The Princess and the Pea – from little Princess Rubie at My Stripy Life Blog
I have to share this post with you from My Stripy Life blog – a fellow EDS zebra. Except part of this post has been written by 7 year old Rubie and incorporates a review of her favourite story. Enjoy……
“The story tells of a prince who wants to marry a princess, but is having difficulty finding a suitable wife. One stormy night a young woman drenched with rain seeks shelter in the prince’s castle. She claims to be a princess, so the prince’s mother decides to test their unexpected guest by placing a pea in the bed she is offered for the night. She covers the bed in 20 mattresses and 20 feather-beds. In the morning she asks the princess how she slept. ……..
For decades I have related to the story of the Princess and the Pea. As a child I was always tossing and turning in bed at night uncomfortable…………Now, I have my own princess who feels every bump in her bed and is finding parallels with this story and her own life. When she had to complete a book review for homework this week on her favourite traditional tale she immediately chose this story……”
To read Rubie’s review please follow this link: Rubie’s review of The Princess and the Pea
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Monday Magic – Inspiring Blogs for You
It has been a sun drenched week with temperatures reaching 35 degrees in London – too hot for us POTSIEs!! I have been absent from the blog and social twitter as the heat has given me some pretty grotty days, but thank goodness for midodrine – this has kept the faints under control. Up to now I have had to get my midodrine prescribed monthly by my cardiologist and then dispensed by the hospital pharmacy, a hassle for everyone, but this month my GP has been allowed to prescribe. Hurray!!
Something that the weather has played havoc with has been my icing!! I planned to make a cake for our friends’ Silver wedding anniversary and it was all going well until Wednesday night when I came to ice with fondant. Who has ever tried to ice a 24 ounce, 12 inch heart shaped cake in 34 degrees humid heat?? Three of us were doing it – I can’t roll it out any more due to dodgy wrists/hands/shoulders! – and if we tried to lift the wretched stuff once, we did it at least five times and each attempt the sheet of icing split. Eventually the cake went back in the fridge, the fondant into its tub and me in front of the TV with a glass (large) of wine. Panic not, yours truly was up bright and very early the next morning and icing the cake at 7 am before a rheumatology appointment at 9 am. Very pleased with the finished product and I even made it to the party on Saturday for a couple of hours (in the wheelchair with a dislocated shoulder in a sling – colour co ordinated with my dress naturally) where the A level student got his sister tipsy on cocktails. Enough said!!
SONY DSC
SONY DSC
I’m rather later in the day getting some inspiring blog published, so I suggest that it could be time to sit down with a large glass of vino or a cold beer or even a Pimms, and enjoy some great posts & a vlog. Think I need to take a close look at the sunburn one and I am intrigued by the Spoonie pin up……
https://confessionsofafibromama.wordpress.com/2017/06/26/a-tricky-parenting-secret/
http://hope-health-healing.net/blog/2017/6/19/how-can-i-prevent-sunburn-naturally/
http://chronicallywhole.com/dear-doctors-may-always-use-powers-good/
https://thezebramom.wordpress.com/2017/06/19/autonomic-testing-what-you-need-to-know/
https://tipsforme.wordpress.com/2017/06/22/spoonie-pinup/
https://thedisableddivablog.com/2017/06/21/my-body-failed-to-meet-my-expectations/
http://livewithcfs.blogspot.co.uk/2017/06/weekly-inspiration-restorative-power-of.html
Hope you enjoy these and take time to leave a “like” or comment – and share some great bloggers’ work.
Claire x
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Monday Magic – Inspiring Blogs for You!
The start of a new week and I wake up to yet another terrorist attack in London – following a dreadful week for our capital with the fire in Grenfell tower, west London. My thoughts go out to all involved.
Duncan has been away this week with 60 year 6 children, aged 10 & 11, on the annual French trip to Paris. I gather it was very hot and very busy. This has meant that the adult kids have had to be my carers – not sure who it is worse for. As anyone suffering with dysautonomia – malfunctioning of the autonomic nervous system – knows, this heat plays havoc with us. My breathing has been worse and the pooling of blood has turned my hands and feet to a delightful shade of blue/red every day. So yours truly managed a truly spectacular faint in the shower cubicle, from which I had to extracted by the student engineer and lovely girl. Not really what any mum wants her 21 year old son to have to do!! The bruises are stunning – Ehlers Danlos skin combined with steroids gives great results for all injuries!
Today is my birthday…we won’t count the years….and I can’t quite believe that another year has passed. I would write more but I am being called to get ready – my lovely parents are taking Duncan and me out for lunch. So in my usual Monday fashion, I invite you to make a cuppa, kick off your shoes, sit back and enjoy some more inspiring blog posts from my friends over at Chronic Illness Bloggers!
https://mymigrainelife.wordpress.com/2017/06/08/mile-for-migraine-charity-walkrun-2017/
http://blog.mighty-well.com/spoonie-community-self-love
http://gettingclosertomyself.blogspot.co.uk/2017/06/the-storm-after-years-of-calm.html?m=1
http://invisiblyme.com/2017/06/17/mini-me-update/
https://wheelchairvista.life/2017/06/10/5-more-ways-to-survive-being-disabled/
http://thethyroiddamsel.com/autoimmune-diseases/sickness-health/
http://lifesapolyp.blogspot.co.uk/2017/06/a-caregiving-father.html
http://www.travelbreatherepeat.com/lam-community-support/
Please remember to like, comment and share!
Claire x
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The Grenfell tower fire: prophetic blog post from 2016 “KCTMO – Playing with fire!”
This is something very different for my blog, but as I sit here and watch the Grenfell tower block burning on television this morning, it seems important that this awful prophetic blog post is shared. I can’t comment on claims made in this post – the opinions expressed are not mine.
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Monday Magic – Inspiring Blogs for You
Another week and here in the UK we are electioned out! Well at least I am! Between the student engineer, now home, and the politics student-in-waiting and the younger sister, mealtimes in our house have proven lively and very noisy as political debates have raged. Forget the House of Commons, just come to our house!
Of course the student-in-waiting has started his A levels this week and I am probably more stressed than he is. The whole mum thing, where there is nothing that I can do yet I still worry. We are keeping everything crossed that an EDS migraine doesn’t rear its ugly head on an exam day as he has had so many recently. The pizotifen mad him feel worse, so he is now taking propanolol to try to stop the migraines before they start, if you get my drift. He is pretty good at internalizing things though as believe me you would’t know that there were any exams happening!!
I have had more hospital trips and tests this week which I will tell you about in another post, but mum and I made friends with several delightful elderly gents in haematology outpatients, and the nurse became mum’s friend for life when she declared her to look at least 10 years younger than she is. One thing we zebras can be grateful to Ehlers Danlos for – great skin!!
I have found another 10 great new blog posts for you – a couple from some friends who have featured before, others who will become new favourites with you I hope! There are a couple of great posts here with the summer holidays in mind – playdough and Disneyland, what more could you want?? So grab a cuppa, sit down and enjoy some fantastic reads……
http://theseatedview.blogspot.co.uk/2017/06/its-all-in-your-head-fighting-for.html
https://findingmymiracle.com/2017/06/05/bigger-than-my-something/
http://www.prohealth.com/library/showarticle.cfm?libid=30398
http://patienceandpajamas.com/disney-travels-part-one/
http://www.chronicsex.org/2017/06/7-ways-feel-sexy/#main
https://reclaiminghope.blog/2017/06/08/maintaining-mobility-with-fibromyalgia/
https://beinglydia.com/2017/06/11/the-ache-of-triumph/
https://medicalmysterymusings.wordpress.com/2017/06/01/meet-the-admin-team/
http://strengthandsunshine.com/how-to-make-natural-homemade-gluten-free-playdoh/
……..please comment, share and make the blogger’s day!
Claire x
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