Autumn is the perfect time to sit and have a catch up with our readers after the whirlwind of summer here at The Daily Struggle office. It’s our ‘calm before the storm’ where we finally have a minute to catch our breath and mull over everything we’ve seen, done, read, watched, bought and tasted lately.
Here’s my round up of the best bits…
CBeebies Land
I decided to brave CBeebies Land with my ‘spirited’ three year old son Kobie recently on a very sunny Friday. It was a Parent and Toddler week as all the school kids had gone back which means you can get tickets for just £29 for one adult and a toddler. This gives you access to CBeebies Land as well as the main Alton Towers park. We then used our Tesco Clubcard points to buy an adult ticket for my husband which ended up being £12 with all the points!
I never really know how family days out are going to go with Kobie as he has such a short attention span but it surpassed my expectations. The longest we queued for a ride was about 25 minutes but we had planned ahead and brought lots of interactive books to read whilst we waited.
There was a good mix of things to do such as themed fun houses (Justin’s House and JoJo and Gran Gran), an ‘In The Night Garden’ boat ride, live shows such as Teletubbies, Hey Duggee, Bing and Bluey, ‘Duggee’s Club House’ play area, Andy’s Dinosaur Dig and ride alongs like Postman Pat’s van.
There was even an indoor sensory area for kids with additional needs who need somewhere to ground themselves between rides. No one batted an eyelid if you had a kid who wanted to run around or scream at the top of their lungs and the staff were so friendly.
My one and only negative was the cafe; it was quite overpriced and the options were limited. Thankfully it was nice weather so we had brought a picnic but even the ice lollies were extortionate.
Self Tan Sunday’s
A healthy glow isn’t just for summer you know! I’ve been setting some Sunday morning ‘me’ time aside before everyone gets up and bothers me, and using my new favourite Bondi Sands tanner ‘Liquid Gold’.
It smells of fresh coconut so I can almost trick myself into thinking I’m back in Marbella, sipping on a Mai Tai from a coconut shell at a beach club. It comes out as a lightweight foam and it looks so natural on your skin when you first apply it; I call it a wedding day tan as it’s subtle but noticeable. As soon as it’s touch dry you can get dressed and leave the house without worrying about it slowly turning into a roast turkey colour. The colour lasts on my body for over a week and on my face for up to three days which is good going for me. It doesn’t sit in your pores and I’ve never found a single streaky patch!
The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives
If you haven’t watched this yet then you’ll have at least heard about it from TikTok. I tried to explain the concept of it to our founder Sam but she said it sounded like her idea of hell. Which is ironic because it’s actually about a group of Mormon wives and mum’s who all live in Utah and attend the mysterious temple for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saint.
They went viral on TikTok a while ago for their fun dance routines (back when TikTok was pretty much just for dancing videos) as well as the fact they all look amazing, but it all blew up when it was revealed some of the mum’s were ‘soft swinging’.
It’s fascinating to me that these women can be Mormon and abide by some of the rules such as no coffee or drugs, yet they drink gallons of ‘soda’ a day to get that caffeine buzz, and ask for laughing gas when they go to get Botox so they can legally get high. Then there’s the competition between them about who is more Mormon because they wear ‘garments’ (look it up, it’s wild), all the while swearing, gossiping, drinking and partying with Chippendales in Vegas.
I absolutely love it! 10/10 – no notes.
Autumn Layers by Lighthouse
Lately we’ve all been loving wearing our Lighthouse jackets as it’s not quite cold enough for thicker waterproofs yet. My mum lives in her Savannah Long Gilet for Autumn dog walks because you just never know what the weather is going to be like. It has 300g of wadding, is water repellent and has a detachable and adjustable hood. It also has generous pockets for the dog lead and poo bags!
On warmer days she wears it with a classic Causeway Breton Top because it’s smart enough that she can still pop for a pub lunch whilst she’s out and look presentable – going for lunch afterwards is the best bit of a walk I think!
Kobie is currently rocking one of their padded reversible coats to nursery as it keeps him warm enough to run around outside in on overcast days without the heaviness of a big winter coat weighing him down. He’s also loving his Lighthouse tractor pj’s! They’re super soft cotton and fit really well, and of course the tractor print is a huge hit. Who says bedtime has to be boring? Not him!
Content Creating
Social media skills are not something this millennial was born with; I’ve had to earn my stripes over the years and it’s something I’m still trying to perfect. It is hard not to compare with other content creators who can dedicate hours a day to creating amazingly slick reels though. But I refuse to let social media leave me behind! If I have to join a computer refresher course at the library when I’m 90 then I will, because as far as I can tell, social media ain’t going anywhere.
So to give myself a fighting chance I’ve invested in some high quality content creator tools from Joby which are specifically made to work with your phone. They have so many variations based on what kind of content you’re creating, for example the PodZilla Beauty Creator Kit for on-the-go creators who need a flexible tripod with a ring light attachment. I used it to create a reel of me packing for Leeds festival because I needed two hands and for my phone to point down towards the ground at a certain angle – something that balancing my phone between books just wouldn’t be able to achieve!
I’ve also given the Beamo Ring Light 12″ Compact Light Kit a go for when I’m taking before and after pictures of beauty products. It makes a huge difference and means you can shoot content no matter what time of day or night it is. It’s so flattering too, it’s actually difficult to go back to regular light photos once you start with a ring light!
Leeds Festival
I haven’t been to Leeds Festival for at least 10 years because I’m no longer 17 years of age. But when Catfish and The Bottlemen decided to come out of early retirement and headline the festival I had no choice but to cough up for tickets. Truth be told, they actually weren’t very good in my opinion. I’ve seen them at arena’s and the overall experience and audience interaction has been miles better. But since they’ve cancelled the rest of their tour I am glad I went as you never know when they’ll have a fall out and bob off again. I really wish I’d paid the extra to see Fred Again on the Sunday but unfortunately my childcare favours didn’t quite stretch to three days.
It was actually nice to be back at Leeds Festival and I think the likes of Gerry Cinnamon, Blink 182 and The Prodigy had brought an older crowd out which made for a nice mix. There was also a lot more families with little kids than I ever remember there being before, possibly because of the ban on camp fires? The weather was also absolutely amazing, give or take some ferocious winds which had mostly died down by the time we arrived on the Friday.
I ate SO much food from the stalls whilst we were there I’m surprised I didn’t fall asleep before the headliners came on. Crepes, taco’s, katsu curry and chips, chocolate covered fruit cups; you name it, I paid a minimum of £9 for it.
All in all, a great couple of days and I’ll definitely be going back if the line up is as good next year.
Vitamin C Skincare
I’ve used all kinds of retinols and acids over the last couple of years to try and find something that will give me an even, smooth complexion, but all they seem to do is dry my skin out and cause red bumps. Even Vitamin C face washes break me out! I ended up giving away all my skincare apart from basic moisturisers as I tried to repair my skin barrier but I was still keeping an eye out for something that might bring back that bright dewiness I had in my twenties!
I started using the Skinstitut Gentle Cleanser to try and calm my skin back down which thankfully worked due to the Aloe Vera and Vitamin E – it was like a soothing ‘ahhh’ for my skin at the beginning and end of the day. Buoyed by my skin turnaround, I then ended up trying a sample of Skinstitut 10% Vitamin C Super Serum and was SO happy with the results it’s now my holy grail skincare product! You only need a tiny bit for your whole face, it doesn’t tingle even if you’ve just exfoliated, it’s not sticky and dries almost instantly, and the results are quick to see. My dark spots and redness have completely gone and I’ve started going on Teams calls without makeup for the first time in my adult life!
Chrome Industries Mini Kadet Bag
I’m always one toddler tantrum away from having a buckaroo situation on my hands so lately I’ve been trying out Chrome’s mini Kadet bag as a hands free, easy access alternative to my usual backpack or tote bag.
It’s a smaller version of their best selling Kadet sling bag which you wear over your shoulder and chest like a compact messenger-style sling bag. It’s incredibly useful for us because it has so many easy to reach pockets, a water resistant main section with organised internal sections, and even a stainless steel bottle opener – perfect for picnics! Because it’s only 5L it can easily fit the essentials for a full family day out – sunglasses, juice cartons, wipes, a selection of dinosaurs, a spare jumper, etc – without weighing you down. I love the versatility of the sandstone colour because it goes with everything, from my husband’s cycling gear to my pre-school pick up coat!
Claire is a Cheshire girl, mum to one and wife to one. She’s also creator of the blog KoKo & Cub which houses tried and tested how to’s (and some how not to’s) as well as general thoughts and musings on everything from OOTD’s to planning a last minute wedding.
