Project Brabham

I love Formula One - the speed, the cars, and the history. I also love it when I get emails that get me so excited, I cannot contain myself. I need to give you a little background first.

When I first started following the sport, I supported a British driver by the name of Damon Hill, now his first team was Brabham. The unique thing about Brabham is that it is one of those rare breeds in the sport now dominated by manufacturers, this was a team started by a driver. Sir Jack Brabham started the team in 1961 and went onto win 3 drivers and 2 constructors titles. There is also not a lot teams that can say they've been owned by one, Bernie Ecclestone. Like all independent teams, they struggled and decided to take a step back from the high profile sport.

This is where we come to today, when I initialled got asked if I was interested I wasn't told who the team where, my thinking was that it would be a small unknown team. I was very excited to it to be Brabham, to have someone of that history and prestige to help them back to the grid is astounding. I do support the underdog teams as amongst them you will find the heart and passion of motor sport.

How are they doing it? By thinking out of the box and coming into the modern social media era. They are looking towards the fans. engineers and drivers to help fund the team, in exchange they have open access to everything about Brabham. The easiest thing for me to do is let David Brabham, owner of Branham, explain...


There is different packages for different donations starting from £1, all of the donations are going towards the establishment of this huge project. Their aim is to enter the 2015 FIA WEC championships (think Le Mans racing style cars) with looking into other formulas like Formula E (Formula one style cars exclusively on electric) and eventually inot Formula One once again.

As I write this the total is at £223,000 but this till is not enough towards the 250,000 target with only days to go. To change the sport into something that isn't about money or profits, but inot something that is shared and enjoyed, we need this to work. This is the future of independent motor sport.

Find out more - https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/project-brabham

Bethany Update - Month 9

This month seems to be the month were she has just grown up, I sit down once a month and back up all my photos of her as well as pick out the ones I'm going to use and this is the first month that she has changed within days rather than weeks. At the moment she changes day to day, that even I, who spends all day with her, cannot keep up with her development.

So this month we:

• Can work out a route and use numerous rolling methods to get at it.
• Are starting to string together little words and can be chatty when in the mood.
• Are happy to play on a own for short periods (hurrah for Mummy!)
• Eat three good sized meals well as three bottles, I think she's making up for lost time!
• Stand against the sofa and play (but you need to be close by)
• Sit up without support (see above)
• love to play with soft blocks and balls now she's sitting up.
• love our door bouncer!

The biggest stress I've had this month is that we have cut our first tooth, I had a rotten nights sleep a couple of weeks back and that evening saw the tell tale signs of a white tooth emerging. It's now grown more out and now it's neighbour is joining it (we also think the top two are also not far behind). Teething powder is my saviour on those bad nights, but so far we haven't had to dig out the calpol... yet.

We had our 8 month assessment, this is to make sure that she is developing the way she should. She 'failed' on gross motor skills, which basically means she's not crawling (no still not crawling). She did excel in everything else like problem solving and being able to pick things up, considering I hoover and she still finds the smallest bit of dirt, she excelled in this too.

Regularly readers will know that we have had Beth's weight constantly checked since she was born, she's always been on the smaller side in the .04 centile. Part of the review was to get her weighed, knowing she had been a hungry thing (She'll finish her dinner and then look at everyone else's like a dog) I was hoping for good results. I wasn't disappointed she is/was 13lbs 13ozs and into the 2nd centile. We've now been told that she is no longer being monitored!

I know she's also bulked out as she was soon in 6-9 months just after the last update, it's the first time she has been in the right size clothing for her age in forever. I had to go emergency shopping for stuff as I only had sleepsuits, OK, it gave me a excuse to go clothes shopping!

Waiting for the bus to playgroup

Beth is still a little mischief, but the smile you get afterwards you cannot stay made at her for long. The biggest decision to make over the next week is do I leave her? I am due to go back to work next month and next week will be the last time I can give them notice of my intentions. I know what I would like but it needs to be for the good of everyone, not just me anymore.

Sassy Bloom Unboxing November 2014

Here it is Bethany's First Youtube video, as the Sassy Bloom Box was for her I thought would be only fair that she had a starring role!



Run down of what is in this box:

Bibsilli - Giraffe RRP £6.99

Soft silicone that can easily be rolled up for changing bags, dishwasher safe and secure when on baby. I liked the ease of which it was cleaned and survived being pulled about by Bethany at dinner time. Look at their website for the tuxedo bib, very cute and perfect for those special occasions.

Halilit Rolling Shapes RRP £8.99

Beth LOVES this, if you haven't figured that out by now. It is perfect for her as she loves to rattle things and make noise (or 'Music' if you wish). I was wanting to get something like this for her so it was perfect timing.

Top That Book, Peter's Pebbles RRP £5.99

This is a beautifully illistrated book and the story is wondeful too, lots of opportunites to make the noises and point out animals. It's lovely and big so Beth can point at things too, I'm already added some of the other books to her Christmas list.

Summer Infant Tub Time Teaparty RRP £8.99

I didn't realise until after I filmed that it was for bathtime! Beth does copy me drinking tea with anything she's holding so this is perfect for that. I also don't have many bathtime toys for her, and when I layed everything out she went straight for the sugar bowl that rattled (it's has a sealed top/bottom with holes to let the water through). It's already a winner.

Bibble Bandana Bib RRP £5.50

Lovely and bright, catches her teething dribbles at the moment. Never got one when she start teething, now I wish I brought loads! It's soft and doesn't rub but fits snuggly round the neck. No dribble on clothes here.

Personalised Blanket RRP £10

I do like personalised things and I did like the fact that Sassy Bloom went that little extra bit to make something that was just for Bethany. It's a huge blanket, she currently has it as her cot blanket but a really good size for prams and car seats.

Total: £46.46 (Box costs £29.00 for a one off, discounts if you subcribe. Always will gurantee that it is worth a minimum of £40)

I really like the box, the little personalised touches like the blanket and it was addressed to her were thoughtful. It had items like the rattle that I was playing to buy her as well as the teaset I would of never of been able to find. I do think it reasonably good value and someone has done all the research for you. I've used everything in the box and there would be nothing I would of changed.

Bibsilli -Giraffe – RRP £6.99

 Like what you see? Get £10 off your first box here courtsey of me

*I was sent this in exchange for review, if you do use the link I receive points towards another box, Thank you.

Bibsilli -Giraffe – RRP £6.99

Bibsilli -Giraffe – RRP £6.99

Bibsilli -Giraffe – RRP £6.99

Truffle Shuffle Wishlist

1. Ladies Grey Marl DC Comics Batman Slogan T-Shirt
2. Wonderland Bunny Cotton Tail Cotton Wool Dispenser 
3. Disney Couture Braver Than You Believe Winnie The Pooh Bangle
4. Ladies Snow White Never Too Old Wide Neck Sweater   
5. Ladies White Pat Sharp And The Twins Fun House Rolled Sleeve Boyfriend T-Shirt
6. Ladies Grey Marl Batman Logo Sweater 
7. Ladies Pinky And The Brain Take Over The World T-Shirt

 I love Truffle Shuffle and by the end of this if you don't realise this then there's something wrong with you. 

I tripped over them in 2009 and fell in admiration of their love of everything geeky, nerdy and the pleasure of being a big kid. My first order with them was to order a Top Gun Viper t-shirt to give my husband on the morning of our wedding (His gamer name is VIP3R). I've lusted over number 7 for as long as I've remembered, they've recently re-designed it and it looks as good as ever!

I've had the honour of winning one of their Friday Facebook competitions and won £25 to spend on the site (as well as my cousin in law). The biggest thrill was recently featuring as one of their Instagrammers for my picture of my bargain (£3.99) Mickey Mouse ears necklace.

 
 The customer service are brilliant, you can tell they love their job, I had a long chat with one when I won their competition and they were over the moon it was a fan who won it. The social media guy(s) are also just as great, which in this day is good, they never step over the mark and are just as big geeks/nerds as their customers.

Teething

We had lots of excitement on Sunday night as Beth had her first tooth emerge, oh how little did I know how quickly that would go!

My poor little girl is suffering because I don't think there is one coming through but two. We have lots of teething gel, powders as well as Sophie the Giraffe who is being chewing within an inch of it's life (Sorry to my friend, Michelle, who leant it to us!). I also have cooled teething rings in the fridge which have been a huge help.

However, she is grumpy and grizzly. Beth constantly wants her Mummy, I put her down to even go to the bathroom she has a meltdown. It is breaking my heart as I hate seeing her suffering, I know it's part of her growing up but I honestly don't know who has cried more over the past few days: Me through lack of sleep and upset or her through the pain.

In short, I am getting nothing done at the moment so please bear with me while I cuddle my upset Beth and try to keep up with life as she finally settles to sleep. On the good side, she now can stand supported (and unsupported hanging onto the sofa for a few minutes) as well as pushing herself along in a walker. We also sat unaided for the first time today too. It seems the first tooth emerging has started something off!

Got any tips for me?

HelpStopMe Online Depression Course

As I started to process the departure of my aunt passing away, I started my online course with HelpStopMe for depression. As a previous sufferer I knew that bereavement can be a trigger and wanted to be one step ahead for a change.

The owner, Mike Nichols used his family experience to see that there was a gap in the market for people who needed affordable help instantly. I, myself have come across this previously, when i was first diagnosed with depression 7 years ago I couldn't get help through the NHS and had to go private. Not only was it expensive (at £30 an hour) but also the waiting list for weeks until gap came free. Things have improved slightly but being able to access the help you need when you need it is vital, leave it for weeks and I find that momentum can disappear. 

Anything that can mean that a person can access affordable treatment is a welcome, this is where HelpStopMe steps in.

I was enrolled onto the Depression course which is split into 21 small segments. Each of these is led by one of the Cogitative Behaviour therapists through video while underneath you can add online notes and track how you are feeling. I am a fan of the online note system, for someone who can easily lose/throw away bits of paper it's perfect to have everything in one spot that is also secure. The site is also clean and simple so this makes it easy to use and work round.

Previously I have used Beating the Blues, this is the NHS online system that they use for referral. In comparison I did find this more easier to to use, I also like that this is more bite sized, you can do as many sections as you want while the NHS is more structured with homework to do away from the computer. I liked the fact that once the programme is shut down you can take time away from it rather than feeling you are at school.

I found the skills learnt in the programme could be easily transferred into everyday life. After a few weeks of doing sessions every couple of days, my mood did improve and I felt that I could cope with each day better and better. The to do list I had didn’t phase me anymore and started to feel more optimistic.

HelpStopMe is available through their website with the course costing £39.99 currently (that works out at £1.90 for each section), I've also noticed there is also support version for people who live with sufferers at £29.99, as well as other mental health sections like anxiety being available soon.

*Access was granted for exchange of review, opinions and experience are my own.

A Weight Issue 3 and Aniexty Update

 I decided to put these together as they have recently gone hand in hand during the past few months.

Regular readers would know that I my Aunt passed away at the end of July after her fight with cancer. This was a trigger for the start of the roller coaster of the past few months. I decided to self refer to my local mental health place, You can read the start of that in Hello Anxiety, My Old Friend. In my grief I stopped giving a damn about my eating habits and health, this lead to me eating my feelings rather than dealing with them.

It wasn't until I was half way through my treatment that I decided to weigh myself again. I had put on a stone in two months (13 stone 6lbs), I just wasn't surprised but the key reason I did weight myself is that I was ready to try and get myself back on track. I know my biggest downfall was just eating for the sake of eating and what ever I wanted rather than what I needed. I stopped going out and thus stop exercising, I now have cleaned off our static bike so at least if I'm struggling to get out I can get some exercise at home.

My treatment is progressing, I am happy to say that in the next few weeks my one-to-one time will be coming to a close and I will be on self treatment. I have been using a private self treatment programme, which I will be posting a review of in the next few days. With anxiety I will never be 'cured', it is all a matter of rethinking how I process situations and taking each day as it comes.

Thank you all for the ongoing support.