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Favourite & popular blog posts of 2014

- Stacey 1 Comment

As we welcome 2015, I thought it would be a good time to look back on my favourite and most popular posts of 2014. I have had mega happy posts, and I’ve also had awfully depressive posts (literally). I’ve started heading the way of food blogging and the recipes seem to be going down well – I hope to post even more this year though. I’ve also been lucky enough to receive some great items to review – just one of the perks!

Favourites

One of my favourite reviews of this year was the Snoozle maternity slide sheet – I only wish I had known about it from the beginning of my pregnancy as it helped me have a much more comfortable night’s sleep! I still used it for weeks after giving birth too.

I loved writing my pregnancy diaries again. To see each week how much I was growing and how baby was growing, and to be able to look back on that in the future. (I must remember to print both of them to put in the boy’s memory boxes).

My home birth story is right there at the top with my favourite posts of the year. As much as J’s birth was magical with him being my first baby, my home birth was the perfect experience and I hope it will go some way to helping others make a decision. This was also one of the most popular!

After a tough start with J bonding with N, this post about the heart melting moments between them was another favourite of mine. Although they have their troubles now, they do still have these precious moments which are moments to treasure forever.

Our VIP visit to Stockeld Park was one of my favourite blogging moments of the year. We had such a fantastic day out with J not wanting to leave and me meeting a fellow admirable blogger, and I’m so grateful that I am able to partake in these opportunities.

This salted caramel & chocolate tart is one of my favourite recipes of the year (and one of the most popular), mainly because it led to me receiving a most coveted Great Bloggers Bake Off badge! I never got around to participating in the final, but there’s always this year…

Popular


This Cantaloop bump support belt was one of my most popular reviews. I hope it’s helped somebody to relieve their pregnancy pain!

My post about our decision to have no more babies (for the foreseeable future anyway) was one of my most popular general posts. As the months go on, as much as I love both of my babies to pieces, I am so glad we made this decision!

Another general post that was quite popular is this one about strange goings on around the anniversary of my mother-in-law’s passing. J still says to this day that she is here.

This no bake lemon cheesecake was another one of my most popular recipes, and it was also one of my favourites to make, and eat of course!

My post about my fall back into depression was one of my most popular mental health posts. I’m not afraid to talk about my mental health, I have no shame in it. If it even helps only one person to talk about it, then it is worth it.

What did you enjoy reading in 2014?

ElevEase Shower Step | Review

- Stacey 1 Comment

During my pregnancy with N, I suffered with backache right from the beginning and it was pretty awful towards the end. This made “grooming” my legs a real problem – it hurt so much to bend over to reach so I went for the gorilla look mostly (I even tweeted about it under #pregnancyproblems) – it’s a good job I was heavily pregnant through the winter so as not to scare everyone!

Having PCOS means when I defuzz, my hair grows back really quickly and if I want to wear a dress or shorts in the summer months then I have to do it every day. Ever since N arrived, I’ve suffered with backache more than I did before; it’s never really gone away. When I was asked if I wished to review the ElevEase shower step I thought it would be good to see if it helped the problem.

The ElevEase shower step aims to help people who have back problems do everyday beauty regimes with ease and reduce the pain whilst doing these tasks. So it needn’t just be used for shaving legs – it can also be used for exfoliating, tanning, toenail painting, and moisturising (among others). It is simply as it says – a step, which is fixed to the corner of your shower/bath with the special strong adhesive which is included with ElevEase.

To affix ElevEase to your shower requires 3 simple steps:

  • ensure the shower surface is clean & dry and apply the supplied adhesive to the back of the step
  • fix the step to the corner of the shower at the knee height of user and hold tight for 3 minutes
  • leave to bond for 24 hours without using the shower.

The shower step has a slanted surface on which you rest your foot, and also a handy holder for your razor. I chose the white step to review but it can also be purchased in chrome. It is made of very strong plastic – obviously it needs to be to hold the weight of your leg. There are guidelines on the back of the step that show you where to apply the adhesive – which has a strong, pungent smell by the way! But I suppose this is from the ingredients required to make it so strong. 
Once it was affixed to the wall I admit I didn’t wait the 24 hours recommended for it to bond. I had to go out the next day and I needed a shower so I risked it. Admittedly I was a little sceptical that it would hold my weight, but it did even after less than the 24 hours. And it is still stuck to the wall and doesn’t look like it’ll be going anywhere! 
When defuzzing the calf area of my legs I did find I didn’t need to bend as far, but I still did a little to do right at the bottom – though this may be because I am as blind as a bat without my glasses on and I needed to see properly! It didn’t cause me any back pain though. When defuzzing the tops of my legs, I found it was actually a bit of a struggle to do with my foot on the step – I found it much easier to just do it normally as I don’t really bend over whilst doing that bit anyway. 
Overall, I think the ElevEase Shower Step is a great product for those that do more than one of the regimes mentioned above and suffer with moderate to severe pain regularly. For its cost, I think it is worth the investment if you will use it often. 
The ElevEase Shower Step retails at £15.97 and can be purchased from Amazon.

My rating – 4/5

Disclosure
I was sent this product free of charge to review. All thoughts & opinions are honest & my own.

We're going on an adventure

Review – Cantaloop bump support belt

- Stacey 3 Comments

Regular readers of my pregnancy diaries will know that I’ve been suffering with SPD and more general pain this pregnancy. When I was offered the chance to review a pregnancy support belt by Cantaloop I was so pleased as I have been recommended them by a few people. 

The Cantaloop pregnancy support belt promises: 

Total comfort due to seamless design. No lines/bunching under clothes. No velcro to destroy clothes. The pouch portion is a looser knit to allow growth. Back portion thicker for support and warmth, i.e. excellent for strained muscles.

 
The support belt looks pretty much like the bump band I have been using, but that was only really so I could wear my regular jeans etc. and it has no real support. The Cantaloop support belt arrived in a cardboard tube (which little man has taken to storing his jigsaw pieces in!) so it was very well protected so as not to be damaged in the post.
 
 
I received a white support belt (which is the colour I would usually go for). On first glance I could see the thicker support portion which I straight away felt was going to be a great help. I also like the little butterfly printed in the top corner which makes it feel a bit more feminine. 
 
 
When I put it on for the first time I immediately felt the pressure off my bump as it lifted it up, as it feels so heavy without any kind of support. The pouch part, as it states in the description, is looser and there was more than enough room to accommodate my smaller bump and allow room for growth, so it would be a good fit for larger bumps too. 
 
I wore it around the house at first to get a feel for it and then my next use was a short walk to the supermarket. Normally I would be getting a lot of pain around my front and lower down at this point but I was amazed that there was barely any (just the usual lightening pains which this wouldn’t help with). I have also worn it to walk around town which is where the pain really affects me. The same as the walk, I had barely any pain. I have to say I did still get a bit of backache wearing it though, but not as much as I do when not wearing it. I also found it did bunch up a little at the back which is a bit awkward to adjust when wearing a dress, but nothing really annoying that can’t wait to be dealt with. It is practically invisible under clothing though. 
 
With a current retail price on the CMS Shop of £13.30 I think it is well worth the investment to be relieved of pain which is at times debilitating, and I wish I had invested sooner as I have really suffered during this pregnancy.
 
My rating – 4/5
 
Disclosure
I was sent this product free of charge to review. All thoughts & opinions are honest and my own.