Monday Motivation

 Hi Everyone!

 

I love this! (Credits: motivationblog.org)

 

It’s Monday and I feel as if I’ve been completely off the radar over the past 2 weeks. My beautiful sister got married last Friday week so to say it’s been crazy around here is an understatement! I feel like I’ve been floating around the place. If I’m feeling like that then I can’t even imagine what my lovely sister has been going through although she is now relaxing and enjoying her time on their honeymoon to Sri Lanka.

 

So really the main reason for this post has been to update you all on what has been going on with me health and fitness wise. To be honest it hasn’t been a huge amount, which is disappointing. I had finally decided to sign myself up for personal training and to say that I was excited about it was an understatement. I went for my fitness test, click here if you want to see how I got on, but nothing has happened since then.

 

Due to a clash of schedules and some major miscommunication both I and the trainer have not been able to arrange suitable times for the training to commence. I am disappointed as I really felt that this would be the challenge that I needed in order to push me to where I need to get. The life of a full time working mother is not easy and my time is precious but I have no doubt that I will manage something that will suit my own schedule, whether it is personal training or not. When undertaking personal training sessions I want to give 100% commitment so I need to ensure that I received the same in return otherwise it’s a waste of my precious time.

 

I am going to give myself this week to figure out what I will do but I will start back my running training tonight (I may have managed to gain a training buddy too, which always helps!). I have signed up for the Limerick Women’s Mini Marathon and also the Ennis Halloween 5K Dash, both in October so I will aim to get back into my routine of running 3 days per week and let everything else fall into place alongside that.

 

So even with such a let down on the personal training I am staying positive and looking forward to beating my 5K and 10K times in the two upcoming races. Getting out in the fresh air and exercising is something that I have missed and I cannot wait to start back again. It amazing how one lazy day can lead into another and another and another!

 

 

That is where I am at currently but I will give a full update next week and each Monday after that.

Thanks for reading!

Until the next time, always remember to be: 

Dee-Termined To Glam & Glow

Dee x

Twitter: @deeglamglow

Instagram: @deeglamglow

Facebook:www.facebook.com/deeterminedtoglamandglow

 

Weird Dreams Anonymous | #irishblogcollab

Hi Everyone!

 

You may remember, at the start of the year, that a number of other fellow bloggers and myself, took part in a 9 week blogger collaboration, #irishblogcollab. It was a lovely way of getting to know other bloggers and also to write about topics that we may not normally write about on our own blogs. It was all organised by the lovely Catherine from Breathing Silver Linings. We have now come back together for another collab, but this time it’s just one post all about our dreams.

 

I was hugely interested in this one because my dreams can be a little crazy at times. They range from nice and sweet to panic filled and terrifying and sometimes I can go for weeks on end without remembering my dream. Recently they have been a mix of all 3. This particular collab is based on our dreams over the past 2 weeks.

 

With my dreams being such a mixed bag, I haven’t done a night by night diary type recording of my dreams. I will go through the types of dreams that I have been having over the past 2 weeks:

 

Reoccurring Dreams

 

A few months back I started a new job and since then my dreams have been a bit crazy. I have been having an ongoing reoccurring dream and it sends panic through my veins at night when I wake up in a cold sweat.

 

What usually happens, in my dream, is that I leave for work and when I arrive I realise that I have left my small man at home. I have just forgotten him and then the panic sets in as I try to work out how I managed to forget him, how I will get to him and whether he is ok? Other times I dream that I have left him in the car when I have gone into work and realise half way through the day what has happened.

 

Even just typing these words is sending a chill down my spine and a lump forms in my throat. Luckily this has never happened to me and I am certain that it never will but it scares and upsets me. I actually woke up one morning recently in floods of tears until I looked at the baby monitor and realised that my little man was safe and sound all snug in his cot.

 

These reoccurring dreams are definitely down to my stress levels and the worry about the unknown. Starting a new job was a huge change for my little family and the worry of it all is showing in my dreams. Luckily these dreams are happening less and less and probably only happened twice in the past 2 weeks but they are terrifying, when they do happen.

 

Life Relevant Dreams

 

I often have dreams that are relevant to current situations in my life. For example: I went to A Stella & Dot Party recently and ordered a beautiful necklace. The party was organised by a colleague at work so in order to reduce the delivery charge we all decided to have the jewellery delivered to work. It was due to take 7 working days. On the 5^th day I dreamt that the jewellery had indeed been delivered but that everyone had just helped themselves and my necklace was gone! I thought nothing of the dream, because a dream is just a dream isn’t it? But when I went into work the next morning, a courier arrived with our jewellery delivery. I got my beautiful necklace, no one else had taken it, as in my dream!

 

I love nothing more than, at the end of the week, to watch some reality TV. I just find it entertaining and it’s a great way to unwind but like last Friday, for example, I came home from work and once I had put the small man to bed and gotten everything done, my husband and I sat down to watch some Deadliest Catch. It’s one of his favourite programs and I have gotten into it now too! This all seems fine, until I get up the following morning and realise that I was after dreaming that I was working on one of the fishing trawlers, with the whole cast alongside me!

 

Dreams like these make me laugh so hard because they are so vivid and feel so real but they are also so funny because the chances of these dreams becoming reality are so slim. Seriously could you ever imagine me working on a trawler on the Bering Sea fishing for crab? Not a hope, this would be my idea of torture!

 

 

Random Dreams

 

This is where the crazy comes into my dreams. I find that from time to time I will have a crazy, random dream that makes no sense and doesn’t seem to have any meaning. They don’t freak me out but they often do make me wonder why I am having them. My crazy dreams don’t scare me, they make me laugh and I always wake up laughing at the ridiculousness of them!

 

An example of one of these dreams is from 2 nights ago. I dreamt that I was out shopping, I'm not sure exactly where but in my dream I knew where I was. In the dream I was happily shopping, my arms were loaded down by shopping bags. I was totally minding my own business when all of a sudden I began getting chases by fairies, Yes FARIES! I seriously have to question my mind to think that it can dream about getting chased by fairies! 

Needless to say I was fine and I woke up shortly afterwards but I woke up in fits of laughter at the thought of the fairies chasing me and my shopping bags! 

So that's it, that's me and my crazy dreams. Here are the links to the other bloggers who took part in this #irishblogcollab, check them out:

Breathing Silver Linings

Thrift O'Clock

Until the next time, always remember to be: 

Dee-Termined To Glam & Glow

Dee x

Twitter: @deeglamglow

Instagram: @deeglamglow

Facebook:www.facebook.com/deeterminedtoglamandglow

 

My Tears Won't Help but I Can't Stop Them

Hi everyone

I've been trying to put into words all week, how I'm feeling about the migrant crisis but I just can't seem to make sense of it all. I haven't been able to express myself verbally but yet I can't read and article or look at an image without feeling such a huge overwhelming sense of emotion. The lump in my throat is getting bigger and bigger with every news bulletin and my tears are on the surface ready to flood my face like a river breaking it's banks.

I have such an ache in my heart. I'm filled with sadness, grief and sorrow but why? I don't know these people so why do I feel the need to mourn their deaths and grieve and to cry for the pain and hardship that they are feeling? 

Who am I though? Really? I'm just another person out of thousands of others who have been so upset by images shown throughout the media. I'm human and I have a sense of right and wrong. I have a conscience and feel so powerless at what is happening. I feel angry at the world for letting this happen.

My husband has a theory that we are actually living in hell right now. At times I think yes you are so right but realistically for me this isn't hell, I have never known real suffering and I'm lucky. I feel selfish for having a good life. I feel it's so unjust for others to suffer so needlessly. 

Images of bodies washed up on beautiful Turkish beaches are flooding my head and I feel powerless to help. I want to help. I want all the suffering and death to stop but I don't know how. What I do know is that I will do what I can, whatever that may be.

Taking a step back I need to fully appreciate the good life that I have. A happy life filled with love and health. Do we ever fully appreciate what we have? I don't think so but we should do.

Tonight and every day I'm going to hug my son a little longer and tell both he and my husband more often how much I love them and how greatful and honoured that I am to be sharing my life with them. 

Please appreciate what you have and live in the present. Life is too short and precious and can be gone in the blink of an eye. I'm so overwhelmed now but I know that I need to do something, anything, to help. 

Thank you for reading

Dee x

My Tuesday Motivation | A New Start

Hi Everyone!

 

I haven’t written a Monday Motivation (yes even though it's Tuesday!) piece in months but as the title suggests this it’s a “New Start”. This new start begins today! I have just completed Day 1 of my 12 Week Personal Training Program with Crème Dela Crème Fitness, link here. I will be training with Kieran twice a week (but hopefully more depending in time commitments) for the next 12 weeks and I am so excited but also so scared.  I love having something to focus on and this is exactly what I needed to push me further and to finally reach my long term goals. I will go into more detail next week, once I have the first week out of the way but I will tell you a little bit about the program. It involves 2 personal training sessions each week. Each session will last 1 hour and will be tailored to suit my fitness levels. Alongside this Kieran will devise other fitness routines to compliment my training. I will be weighed every week and measured each month to track my progress. I will also be following a nutritionally balanced diet plan.

 

 

 

 

 

My Goals/Aims

 

With any training program it is important to set some goals and this one is no different. Below are my goals for the next 12 weeks:

·         Tone my body so that I will have no loose skin

·         Lose 1 ½ stone

·         Fit back into size 12 Jeans

·         Keep my diet on track and only allowing a cheat meal and not a cheat day, weekend or week!

 

This Week

 

Day 1 (Tonight) involved taking my weight and measurements. I also had to do a fitness test so that Kieran could tailor the program to suit me and my goals. We set out the training times and Kieran is to send me through my training plan so that I can start on my 12 weeks of hard work!

 

 

I will be back blogging each Monday to track my progress and will use this as my motivation. I will also upload photos once per month in order to compare the results. Here’s to a new and better me and to focusing on something productive! Why not try join me over the next 12 weeks to reach your own personal goals? I'd love to hear them so please drop me a line!

Until the next time, always remember to be: 

Dee-Termined To Glam & Glow

Dee x

Twitter: @deeglamglow

Instagram: @deeglamglow

Facebook:www.facebook.com/deeterminedtoglamandglow

 

Cork Hen Party Madness

Hi Everyone!

My lovely sister is getting married in September so we recently went to Cork for her Hen Party Weekend. Organising a Hen Party is not something that I had ever done before and it was certainly an experience!

I am a full time working mother and I also run my blog so taking time to book a Hen Party was not easy. I knew that it would be difficult so one of the other lovely bridesmaids suggested henparty.ie, link here. To be honest, at first I felt that this was the lazy option but then when I read through their packages I was very impressed. They had a huge range of options available from locations, to hotels to activities.

Once we had decided that we wanted Cork as our location, and picked 5 activity options, I emailed henparty.ie for a quotation. I was still thinking that I would be able to do this all myself and that this was the backup option but I have to say that the detail that I received back, in the email, from Laura was brilliant. I think I decided there and then that I would be booking with them! The hotel options on offer were really nice and I don’t think that I could have gotten as nice a hotel (With Breakfast and access to the leisure center), if I had tried to book it all myself and for such a good price. Once I was happy with the quotation I paid the booking deposit and henparty.ie did the rest!

(Bridesmaids!)

The ladies from henparty.ie were in touch with me on a regular basis and let me know if they needed anything. One week before the hen I received a parcel, full of typical hen party paraphernalia, by courier along with a full itinerary.  The itinerary included the details of the weekend along with maps to each location and handy contact numbers. Below are the itinerary details and what was included in our package.

Friday:

·         Bed and Breakfast in The Montenotte Hotel

·         Finger Food in The Bailey

·         Round of Shots in The Bailey

·         Reserved private area in The Bailey

Saturday:

·         Bed and Breakfast in The Montenotte Hotel

·         CSI Activity – meet in The Washington Inn

·         Round of shots in The Bailey

·         3 Course Meal in Currans Restaurant on Adelaide Street

·         Round of shots in Edison

·         Free entry to Bowery Nite Club Before 11.30

·         Round of Champagne

·         Reserved private area

We decided to do the CSI activity (which was brilliant by the way) so we had to make a little video of the groom and send through some images of the bride and groom. The video was then used on the day and the images were included in the CSI booklets, they were a lovely keepsake from the day also.

The CSI started off in The Bailey, where an actor, the wonderful Sebastian, arrived in dressed as a private investigator. My sister honestly thought he was a stripper and was mortified and ready to kill me but once she realised that he was actually part of our activity, she calmed down and enjoyed herself.

We were divided up into groups and the whole aim of the CSI was for us the pull information from Sebastian’s "evil twin" who had kidnapped the groom. We had to run around Cork city as we were told that he would be in 1 of 3 pubs and if we bugged him enough, he would fill us in on the details surrounding the grooms "kidnapping". Once we found him and got the required information and completed all of the tasks we met back in The Bailey for the results. The winning team won a bottle of Processo. The bride’s team won, much to my disappointment (Must be the competitive streak in me!!!).

I thought that the CSI activity was very well done. Sebastian was so professional and nice and we were able to have a laugh with him. The whole group seemed to enjoy it, which was the most important thing for me as I didn’t want anyone not enjoying themselves. If I was to go on another hen in the morning, this is an activity that I would love to do again.

Overall the hen was a great success and the attention to detail that henparty.ie had put into the organisation, was superb. Honestly I would never have opted to have someone else organise the hen but having now done so I would not hesitate to do it again. It really takes the pressure off and allows the bridesmaids to enjoy the hen a little more. I think that we got more for our money also as I do not feel that I could have pulled off a weekend as well if I were to organise it all myself.

Now we have the wedding to look forward to, literally in a matter of weeks. One thing is for sure, after such a fantastic hen weekend, there is now an amazing bond between each of the hens that I hope will remain. I have no doubt that we will all laugh at stories from the hen for years to come. I cannot wait to see me beautiful sister, Orla, walk down the aisle to marry Darren. He is a lucky guy!!! To my fellow bridesmaids, Anna and Allissa, thank you for all of your help and for putting up with my stressed head!

Until the next time, always remember to be: 

Dee-Termined To Glam & Glow

Dee x

Twitter: @deeglamglow

Instagram: @deeglamglow

Facebook:www.facebook.com/deeterminedtoglamandglow

REVIEW: Dermatique Recuperating Cream

Hi Everyone!

As you probably know by now, I have a small son who suffers from eczema. He has had it on and off, since he was born. It mainly affects his forehead, behind his ears and the worst area are his wrists. He does get the odd patch on his arms and legs but these are usually quite small.


We have cut dairy out of his diet and at the start this did make a difference but the eczema kept coming back. The main issue is that when he gets tired my small man would scratch his wrists and any other affected area. This has often led to him breaking the skin. It just means that the skin is not getting the chance to heal as it is constantly irritated.

We have used all types of creams, from steroid based creams to natural creams and none of them seemed to calm or lessen the appearance of it more than Dermatique's Recuperating Cream. The lovely people from Dermatique, link here, sent me a tub of the cream 4 weeks ago and I have been using it on my son’s eczema twice a day ever since.


Dermatique have been around since 1996 but I have only just been introduced to them. Their products are developed, under the strict supervision of dermatologists and skin care professionals, to help in the treatment of eczema, dermatitis, psoriasis, and itchy skin. Originally the cream was developed by a mother and father who’s 9 month old daughter was diagnosed withsevere eczema. Their drive and ambition created the brand and provided a cure for their daughter and any other eczema sufferer.

Dermatique only use the finest natural ingredients that won’t harm sensitive skin. There are no artificial perfumes, synthetic colour or parabens added to their products. I think that’s part of the reason that I was so drawn to trying this cream on my son. He has had sensitive skin since he was born and I was so sick of putting creams laced with chemicals, onto his delicate skin. Some of the ingredients used include:

· Blackcurrant Seed Oil
· Narcissus Extract
· Centella Asiatica
· Licorice Extract
· Bisabolol
· Argan Oil


I could easily have written up a review within 2 weeks of getting the cream but I wanted to be sure that the results were as good after the 2 weeks. So often I have tried creams that are like miracle workers, fading the redness and roughness of the eczema and then after 2 weeks there is no more change. I wanted to be sure that I was writing an honest review and that I was not eating my words the following week.


I started applying the cream morning and evening every day. The first thing that I noticed was that texture of the skin was softening. The horrible roughness was disappearing. It stayed like this for a day or so, until the redness too started to fade. After 2 weeks there was a noticeable difference and people even started to comment that the skin was clearing.

(My Sons Right hand - Week 1 on top and week 4 on the bottom. His right hand was the worst affected area and the results speak for themselves!)

The eczema is still there but it has faded so much. When he gets tired, my son will scratch and there were days where I felt like I was back to square one but I am delighted with the results. I hated using chemicals on his skin as I always feel that these will have a lasting effect and I would hate for him to be left with scarring from the eczema. I just feel that this cream has done what is claimed it would do, without being harmful to the skin.


This weekend we had another little flair up, mainly because my son only went for a very short nap and refused to sleep any more. This routine seems to have continued all week so naturally he becomes over tired and wont stop scratching his wrists and ear. It’s a battle that I am constantly fighting and I am hoping that he will grow out of it but I’m glad that I have found a cream that does what it says it will do. I will no longer be running to the doctor for another prescription for a cream full of chemicals.

I think what I really like, and was happily surprised by, was the texture and consistency of the cream. Most dry skin creams are heavy and thick but the Recuperating Cream was light and fluffy and feels so nice on your skin. Even my son loves having it put on as I massage it gently into his skin.


The great thing is about the Recuperating Cream is that I can use it myself too. I have been using it on my own hands for the past couple of weeks to help with the dryness and so far so good. Dermatique have a number of other products, which I am yet to try, but needless to say, when payday comes around on Friday I’ll be making a few purchases!



Until the next time, always remember to be:




Dee-Termined To Glam & Glow



Dee x



Twitter: @deeglamglow
Instagram: @deeglamglow
Facebook:www.facebook.com/deeterminedtoglamandglow

10 Things You Didn't Know About Me

Hi Everyone!

 

Firstly I would like to thank Eimear from Chirps From A Little Red Hen and Rachael from Rachsbeautique for tagging me in "10 Things you didn't know about me". 

 

 

All you have to do is add the 10 Things image from the top of this post, link back to me and answer the following 10 questions. Then if you wish to do so, compile 10 questions of your own and tag 10 of your fellow bloggers to do the same.

 

 

Here they are:

 

Questions from Chirps From A Little Red Hen

 

1. What's your favourite room in your home?

We live in a teeny tiny cottage with 5 rooms in total. My favourite room is probably our bedroom. It’s the upstairs section of the cottage and is long but not very high. If you stretch your hands out you can touch the sloping ceiling at either side! The ceiling is so low that we cannot fit a wardrobe in there. In saying all of that I just love how cosy it is.

 

2. What makes a perfect sandwich?

Cheese. I have to have cheese in my sandwich otherwise it just doesn’t have the same appeal!

 

3. What is your favourite thing to do on a rainy day?

Curl up in front of the fire and watch the rain fall outside.

 

4. If you were only able to wear one item of makeup what would it be?

It would be a tossup between mascara or eyebrow product.

 

5. Camping? Glamping? Self-Catering? Hotel? What would your choice be on a holiday?

Hotel without question. I travelled through Australia in a campervan and I have now developed a hate for any sort of camping!

 

6. What are your favourite flowers?

Lavender. The bridesmaids at my wedding had bouquets of lavender and they looked amazing and smelt just as good.

 

7. If you won a lotto of €1 Million what would be the first thing you would do?

Cry! I would ring the bank to pay off our mortgage or any other debt/loan and then go on a fabulous holiday with my husband and son before coming home to decide what to do with our winnings!

 

8. What's your favourite thing to do in Summer? 

Getting out in the fresh air. I am lucky to have grown up in the country and to now still live in the countryside and I just love the smell of the fresh country air. It's so good for the mind to get out too.

 

9. What's your favourite thing to do to relax?

I love to watch some of my guilty pleasures on TV with a glass of wine or cup of tea. It's nothing too crazy but I enjoy it!

 

10. Your perfect breakfast?

Poached Eggs, brown toast and a beautiful cup of Barry's tea!

 

Questions from Rachs Beautique

 

Your questions are:

1. What is your biggest blog related peeve?

I don't know really, nothing so far!

 

2. What's your nickname and how did you get it?

Dee. My name is Denise so the nickname is not very original but it suits me. When I was in primary school everyone used to call me Denny or Dinny and I hated it. I used to go home from school crying because I hated it so much. I think the main reason was because at the time there was a character called Dinny in the Irish tv program Glenroe and he was an elderly man, I hated being associated with it! It's funny because there is now a character in home and Away called Denny!

 

3. Favourite Movie?

Mickeybo and Me. I just adore that film and watch it all the time.

 

4. What blogger do you secretly want to be friends with?

Ha ha that’s a good question. Probably Pippa O'Connor because she is just fab and seems to down to earth. I love her style and taste too.

 

5. If you could live anywhere in the world where would it be?

I would probably still live here in Ireland because I am a bit of a home bird although I wouldn’t mind living in New York or Los Angeles for a year.

 

6. Favourite beauty tool/product?

Nivea Essential Care Lip balm, the blue one. I freak out if I don’t have one with me at all times. I'm actually addicted, so much so that even my husband's 4 year old niece comments on it!!

 

7. How tall are you?

5ft 7"

 

8. Favourite junk food?

This has to be divided up between sweet and savoury because I just couldn’t choose!

Savoury: Pizza and garlic cheese chips (Soooooo not good for the waist line)

Sweet: Tesco Midget Gems

 

9. Favourite song?

I have lots of them but I particularly love our wedding song: "You Couldn’t Have Come At A Better Time" by Luka Bloom

 

10. Last romantic gesture from partner, boyfriend, spouse, or someone special?

My wonderful husband made me breakfast in bed last Saturday and it was the loveliest surprise! He told me that he would bring me up a cup of tea and instead arrived with tea and breakfast.

 

 

Thanks again to Chirps From A Little Red Hen and Rachsbeautique for the tag.

Until the next time, always remember to be: 

Dee-Termined To Glam & Glow

Dee x

Twitter: @deeglamglow

Instagram: @deeglamglow

Facebook:www.facebook.com/deeterminedtoglamandglow