Sponsored Video - Dream the Blues!

I've never been one for sport, well not team sports anyway. I actually blame my terrible eyesight and my reluctance to wear glasses even though I could hardly see. Many a time I was whacked in the face by a low flying tennis racket while I blindly gazed around, wondering what on earth was going on around me. Later in life I took up "fitness"- this involved torturing myself by running miles every evening following a pretty hefty circuit training session at lunchtime.

Having said all that, I can see that taking part in sport (if you can see) is a really good thing and not to be sniffed at, especially if you really really love the sport you are involved in. Anything that keeps children interested and off the iPad is good as far as I'm concerned, and team sports are a great way to learn about dealing with other people and working as a team. Therefore I'm really happy to be able to let you know about a new awesome opportunity Samsung are offering to some very lucky children - the chance to learn how to play with Chelsea FC youth coaches! Samsung Dream the Blues campaign aims to help young people between the ages of 9 and 13 to realise their football dreams and train with the best. As part of the sessions, keen footballers will go through a series of skill sessions and mini games learning how to control, dribble, shoot and pass along with other children around the same age. This year, Chelsea FB will be holding youth football camps in China,Vietname and Columbia where children will have a chance to meet with their Chelsea heroes Torres, Hazard and Terry in London! Bonza!

Find out more checking the Dream the Blues Youtube Channel
Check out  the official  Website 
Have a look at the previous Dream the Blues Campaign  

This post is sponsored by Samsung, but all thoughts are my own.

Why does Hearing Loss Increase with Age?

 

As we grow older, many of us experience a number of changes in the way our body functions. Hearing loss can be one of these changes. For people over 75 years old it is believed that around half of the population suffer from hearing loss, which is purely down to their age. It is no wonder that this is a huge frustration for a large number of people.

As new research confirms that older deaf people’s needs are being ignored, Norman Lamb, Minister for Care and Support, has pledged to support and promote a new Deaf-Aware Care quality mark for residential care homes. According to the Royal Association for Deaf (RAD) people, to help care homes achieve the Deaf-Aware Care quality mark, training and support around accessibility, engagement, British Sign Language (BSL) and recruitment will be provided. For deaf BSL users, life in residential homes can be very depressing and isolating, especially if there is nobody to speak their language. The more care homes that achieve the quality mark, the better deaf people’s lives will be. Free hearing tests and home consultations from Hidden Hearing are also available on request and should be taken up on a regular basis.

Below is some information as to why hearing loss increases with age:

What is it and why does it happen?
Unfortunately, hearing loss is a natural part of getting old. As part of the aging process, hair cells in your inner ear begin to die and the more hair cells that die, the worse our hearing gets.

Age related hearing loss tends to deteriorate slowly over a matter of time, meaning people don’t really notice it until it has become very obvious. For many people, it starts with missing the odd word when in conversation or having to turn the television volume louder.

Diagnosis and treatment
If you’re having problems with your hearing, or know somebody who is, it is important to see a hearing professional as soon as possible. After some simple tests, they will be able to tell you if you are suffering from any hearing loss and will advise you on what to do next. Never put it off; having it checked on a regular basis will ensure any problems can be resolved earlier rather than later.

Although there is no cure for age related hearing loss, it can be assisted with the use of hearing aid technology and devices such as loop systems, amplified telephones and text telephones. Modern hearing aids are small and discreet so can be worn inside the ear without being noticed. Advancements in technology have also made it easier to connect your hearing device to mobile phones, televisions and other gadgets. This can significantly improve your hearing and boost your chances of being able to lead as normal a life as possible.

This is a guest post.

Silent Sunday - Feel The Force!

Win £500 worth of prizes with Decplay!

For a few months now, my oldest son has been having keyboard lessons. Although he really seems to enjoy his lessons, it does seem to be quite slow going and I do sometimes wonder if it's worth it! Therefore I was really interested to hear about Decplay - a new piano tuition method and form of musical notation that lessens the time taken to learn to play the piano. Decplay have a mission to engage 1 million people and get everyone playing!

The method was devised by Declan Cosgrove who is a classically trained pianist.  Declan believes the traditional way of teaching and the focus on prescribing each note and rhythm, restricts some people's natural creativity, delays the point at which the student feels a sense of achievement and contributes to the huge number of people who stop learning before they can play to a level that gives them and others enjoyment.  The method is ideally suited to popular music (as well as classical) and uses numbers and patterns to produce amazing results incredibly quickly.

If you're interested you can click on the Decplay facebook page and go to their competition tab to get your free song sheet and the chance to win a £500 piano learning prize which includes a keyboard, FastPlay+ course, Song sheet pack and 3 hours online coaching! The closing date is Monday 31st March 2014.

More information about the method can be found at www.decplaypiano.com,

This is a guest post

My favourite nineties fashion...

Isn't it true that apparently everyone tries to recapture their "look" at 21 for the rest of their lives? do you think that's true for you? It possibly is for me, as at the moment I've entering into a period of nineties mania which basically takes the form of having my hair cut into a "Rachel", I'm not going to take a picture right now but I will post one later in the week for sure. When I was a "youf" of 18, everyone was desperate for a Rachel cut, sadly my hair was too fine to make it work and I just ended up looking rather odd. Fast forward 15 years and with the help of my Big Hair Styler and some loyal 12 year old GHDs and I can just about pull it off. Just about.

Why Jen-An chose to stop having her hair cut in the "Rachel" styley I'll never know, in my opinion that was probably what went wrong with Brad.

So I'm going to be writing a bit about nineties style and how to turn it into (erm what do we call this decade?!) nowadays trendiness, so here's a start.

The Mohair Jumper and Kilt Look
For those familiar with the early work of the artists formally known as Friends, this won't be a new one. I fail to see how anyone can look bad in a fluffy jumper and skirt, ok maybe some people would, but since according to my husband I have ridiculously long legs and "no torso" this is a good one for me. Here is a classic example of what I call the "Clueless" fashion. As in the film.

Clueless fashion from Missguided

This particular example is from Missguided, but I know nothing about that shop so I wouldn't like to recommend it. However, a recreated look that is suitable for a 35 year old mother of two is:

ASOS check skirt was £36 now £25

Totally wearable and flattering for all! Pair it with a classic.... tucked in of course.

Soft short sleeved jumper from Matalan, £7

What do you think? Obviously pair with some bargainous £7.99 pumps from my recent post and jobs a good 'un! What else did you like from the nineties? What else can I recreate for an oldie like myself?

Silent Sunday - tea for two

#silentsunday

Bargain Spring Shoes from H&M

In the past, I've blogged quite extensively about my enormous feet and how difficult it can be for us poor afflicted large footed ones to get nice ladylike shoes. With this in mind, I don't really bother spending large amounts of money on shoes, particularly Summer shoes, as my big aggressive feet always seem to knacker them. Last year I spent over £50 on some sandals from Dune. They are really nice, but I've hardly worn them because I failed to spot a problem with them - I have to fasten them with a buckle. What mother has time to actually do up the buckles on her own shoes! Yes, slip on or minimum fastening has to be the way forward, and when it comes to Spring/Summer shoes, it has to be ballet style pumps for me. I usually like to get cheap and cheerful versions of these and then just bin 'em at the end of the Summer, works for me!

Anyway since the weather has picked up, I've spotted that H and M have got some fabbo ones in the offing, and it's probably worth getting them now before they sell out, especially if you are a bit, erm challenged in that area.

First of all, these aren't ballet shoes at all, but I love the idea of these as Summer work shoes

The art of tact...

I've never been a very tactful person and it's something I remember people commenting on from a young age. I don't have a filter, I never have done, and I have one of those faces that show exactly how I am feeling. I can't laugh unless something is funny, I can't smile unless I'm happy. I can't pretend to like someone if I don't. Sometimes it's put me at a disadvantage, but the people who do like me always know I will be honest with them and I do try my very best not to say hurtful things to people.

Recently I've noticed a similar trait in my oldest son. I was really shocked a few days ago when we were watching "Jungle Run" and he suddenly said, "that girl is fat" about one of the contestants. Although I don't mince my words, I would never talk about someone in that way and certainly not in front of him. I immediately spoke to him about how it wasn't kind to say that about someone and he was not to say that again. He was confused though, he explained that he'd been learning about staying healthy and that if we eat too much of the wrong food we get fat. I couldn't disagree with that, but it did lead me to question what else he might be coming out with..I didn't have to wait long.

A few days later we were at an after school club and he felt the need to inform one of the other children about their physical disability, loudly. I was absolutely mortified and immediately apologised to the child's mum who just said she gets it all the time and she wasn't at all bothered. But I was. Then the very same day he said to his Daddy, "you have a big belly" which was just totally unncessary too.

I'm cringing just thinking about it but it made me think - where is the line between being honest and being hurtful. He was saying things that were true, but to me they were hurtful comments that people should keep to themselves. Where is the line between telling the truth and being insulting and rude and more to the point, how do I teach him not to cross it?

Go Bradford Team Honk!

I'm not really one for sports. Or charity. Or charity for sports for that matter, but this year has been a bit different to everything that has happened before. With my new found awareness of what it means to be a person of integrity and how that is the only true path to true self worth, I had to say yes. So this Thursday and Friday, I will be the holder of the baton! Yes the baton that has passed from blogger to blogger, through sweat and tears, from Landsend to John O 'Groats and goes by the name of Team Honk and is in aid of Sport Relief!G

"The first ever Sainsbury’s Sport Relief Games take place from Friday 21st to Sunday 23rd March 2014. The public can join the fun and games by running, swimming or cycling their way to raising cash at over a thousand venues around the country, including the landmark events at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.

As one of the biggest fundraising events, Sport Relief brings the entire nation together to get active raise cash and change lives. The money raised by the public is spent by Comic Relief to help transform the lives of some of the poorest and most disadvantaged people both at home in the UK and across the world."

I don't do this sort of thing normally, so it would be lovely to be sponsored by, someone, if you can our page is here>> http://my.sportrelief.com/sponsor/bradfordteamhonk
 and you can also text HONK to 70005 and donate £5 to Sport Relief .

Our aim is to raise £20,000 for Sport Relief and lots of people are doing tremendously creative things like Morris Dancing their way through their leg, hula hooping, rafting and the like. I will be running in usual running gear plus one toddler in a pushchair. There are over 200 bloggers involved, plus their (long suffering!) family and friends, and it promises to be a huge event. The route and masterplan is here and you can see exactly what is going on where and I'll be taking part in the Bradford leg.

When I've done my leg, I'll report back on what happened and how it went! WHOOP, go me!