Winter Ball | OUAW Events

My niece's birthday falls in between Christmas and New Year, so it's nice to spend time with her and actually do something, rather than buy another present for her.

My brother had the same idea and booked us in to a Winter Ball held by a local events company (Once Upon A Wish) that we had previously used for a Princess Knock for my niece's birthday a few years ago.

It was held at David Salomons in Southborough; a Victorian mansion with a vast estate, used for functions, events and weddings and it is a stunning venue.

Parking was easy to find, with plenty of spaces and there were OUAW staff on site to direct us to the event itself. There were also staff at the door greeting us, letting us know which table we were on, as well as giving out pre-paid goodie bags if you had pre-ordered one (which we had)

 

On our table was myself, my brother, our mum and my niece as well as another group of 2 adults and 3 children. The table was laid out beautifully, with our table number in the middle, colouring for the kids as well as water and glasses.

We took time when everyone was settling in to have a look at what the goodie bag included. Inside was a 'glass slipper', a pair of fairy wings, a wand, a tiara and a voucher for a glitter tattoo - well worth the money.

The event started with the owner of the company, Jess Nelson, taking to the stage to welcome everyone to the event and let us adults know that the bar was open!

The stage was then filled with prince and princesses singing and dancing - all the kids were in awe - and most adults were too.

The day continued with songs and dancing from the characters and they made sure to get the kids involved.

There was also photo opportunities, glitter tattoos, even a treasure hunt! As well as some quiet time with arts and crafts when the kids were all given a cupcake.

             

To finish up, there was a disco and every single child was given a book to take away - all individually wrapped up - which must have taken hours.

Every detail was thought of, including the amazing Cinderellas carriage for photo ops (Wasn't able to get a picture as there were too many children around it!) but it was simply stunning.

The costumes were honestly amazing, such good quality.

All characters stayed in character the whole day and were great entertainers.

The day was family friendly and good value. I would highly recommend the company to anyone with children.

They don't just do these big events, so if your child is better one on one - they also offer other options such as Home Visits and Princess Knocks where the character/s of your choosing will come to your house, as well as kids parties and more.

Princess Knocks from 2017 - Belle

I would highly recommend them for kids of all ages and you can find them online here or on Facebook here.

Have you ever used OUAW? Or are you planning to? - Let me know.

The next event is A Royal Tea Party in February - Book now so you don't miss out!

Much Love as Always,

*Please note; I am not affiliated with the company in any way, all opinions and pictures are my own and are from my own experience*

For now...

This is so true, and as you know Harry Potter is one of my most favourite things in the world. (Blog coming soon from a whole HP day we had a few weeks ago)

So my last blog was in July... although my radio silence has only really been on here, I haven't shared everything on my Instagram or Facebook pages. 

If you don't follow me on social media, in September 2018 I went on a family holiday to Turkey and Jack proposed. 

Amazing news right?

I thought so too.

We had a great holiday and I was on such a massive high that I was not prepared for what was coming next. 

The week after we returned, after celebratory drinks, meals and such, I returned to work. The day-to-day normality of my life seemed to hit me like a truck.

I spiralled downwards and this led to me being signed off work for nearly 3 months. 

During that 3 months, I didn't want to do anything or see anyone. Bed was my friend... (luckily we have an awesome bed!)

I don't remember much through out this time as I think my mind has blocked most of it out as a blur of Drs appointments, counselling, medication changes and more. 

Jack was my rock through out this period, as were my family and his. I know it is so hard being supportive when nothing makes sense and when it is all so confusing, but they all did a great job.

Work were amazing and really helped me by asking me how they could help me come back to work without forcing any pressure onto me.

I went back to work mid December on a phased return, meaning that I worked two half days a week, increasing this week by week. 

This really helped me have something to focus on, without putting too much pressure on myself. 

I finally went back to work full time late February, which seems like forever ago, but having a job I love really helped me and my mental health. 

Were now 4 and a bit months on from going back full time, and I'm not going to sit here and say to you that I'm all better, that would be a lie, and I don't think anyone with mental health problems would ever be able to say that, but it's a lot more manageable. 

I am on strong ass tablets daily, and my body definitely knows when I haven't taken it. It helps and I don't want to be on them forever, but for now, it's what I need. 

Being able to manage my bad days is getting easier, especially with the help of a couple of good friends who also have similar issues. We help each other rationalise our mind farts. 

So, for now... I'm ok. I'm getting into wedding planning, have finally finished my CIM course after having to defer it whilst I was off, and am feeling more and more confident in my job role. 

Hope you are all well, and I will be posting a lot of what I have been up to over the last few months. 

Much Love,

The Mexican Kitchen | Review

Nowadays there are so many restaurants in my hometown, that it's hard to keep up and to actually eat in them all!

When myself and Emma finally found an evening to go out for Dinner for the first time in 10 years on our own, we jumped at the chance to try out the New Mexican restaurant.

Mexican is one of my all time favourites and we haven't had a decent one in Tunbridge Wells for what seems like forever.

We booked the table for 8pm and were given the choice to eat inside or outside due to the weather. Unusually we chose outside, but it was so hot to start with I don't think we could have sat inside.

As we walked through the restaurant, I noticed a lot of colour, which is obviously very in keeping with the Mexican theme, and outside in the garden was filled with fairy lights above us and flags around the wall surrounding the garden.

First up, we ordered cocktails, of course! I went for a Frozen Margarita, and Emma had a Pina Colada - I obviously had to sing when she said she wanted one...

We also ordered our food at the same time as we don't mess around. Plus we had already had a sneaky look at their menu online, which I find really helps me make a decision when I actually get there as I'm horrendous at choosing anything! 

I went with my fave Mexican starter, Frijoles and Tortillas, while Emma chose homemade Guacamole. 

So delicious, and loved the presentation. I have a rather big love for slate anyway, so they were onto a winner there, but teamed with the colourful buckets was great. There was just enough as a starter, not too much so you were full before your main, but not too little that you wondered why you bothered. 

Next up we both went for the Chicken Tanga Enchilada... 

This came with a small portion of Mexican rice and garnish, with sour cream drizzled on top. When we got them, I thought there wasn't much there, but the meat was so tasty that it was definitely enough. What I liked was that I wasn't too full that I felt sick, but was comfortably full. 

As you can see it had got dark when we ate our mains, so the waiter had turned the heater on as well as provided us with blankets so that we could stay outside. 

Lastly, I heard someone say that they had Churros on the menu so we just had to get them and we were not disappointed!

Served with a caramel sauce and vanilla ice cream these were a dream. Emma has never had Churros before but I think it's safe to say she is now converted.

All in all, we had a lovey evening. The waiters were attentive, the food was delicious as were our cocktails and the price wasn't bad either. 

If you are local to the area I would say to definitely check them out. 

You can follow them here: 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/themexicankitchentw/ 

Twitter: @mexican_tw 

Insta: Mexican.kitchen.tw

If you want to book a table click here. 

Have you been yet? or have you found a restaurant I need to try? We loved getting glammed up and having a girls night!

Much Love, 

* All opinions are my own and I am not affiliated with this company. 

Medication | My Story

This post is a hard post to write as I've never really spoken about my diagnosis with anyone except close friends and family.

Rewind about a year and I started to realise that I was not ok... and that enough was enough.

I was fed up of feeling the way I had been... physically being sick in the morning at the thought of leaving my house... never saying no to anyone as I felt horrendous if I did... having to have things in the right place or ordering things in a certain way.

It all came to a head when I realised I was struggling to leave my house.

I had a loving, caring boyfriend that I lived with, two gorgeous kittens and my family and friends... so what was wrong with me? What was happening to me? I couldn't understand it, and actually it made me feel worse.

I don't really remember what happened next, with regards to the whys and wherefores. All I know is that I blurted out to my GP about how I was feeling and that I wasn't coping very well.

He was amazing, and went through a lot of options with me. This was the day that he prescribed me my first lot of tablets.

I had always brought into the stigma of people who take tablets are crazy, they aren't for normal people like you and me. How wrong was I... I'm not normal... no one is.

But I was also wrong about how much tablets can help.

At the time, my Doctor presumed I had slight anxiety and advised the 10mg he had given me would help immensely and I should be back to my "normal" self within a few weeks.

This was not the case.

My tablets were upped to 20mg within those few weeks and then doubled to 40mg which is where I have stayed.

Don't get me wrong, the side effects to start with were horrible and I still struggled, and actually... I still do. Tablets are not a 'quick fix' and anyone who thinks this must be lucky enough to not have had to go through this or know anyone who has.

It's a lengthy process.

I was also referred to counselling/therapy which I know has helped keep my tablets at this level. I strongly believe they work hand in hand.

I was lucky enough to be able to be referred very quickly as I have private health care through Jack's employer. So, since August I have been travelling an hour and half to see my therapist, give or take a few weeks for illness, holidays and more recently, the snow!

I was super anxious and nervous my first time especially as I hate talking about myself, but my therapist put me at ease straight away. She picked up my 'tells' straight away...some of which I hadn't ever thought about.

Don't get me wrong, I'm no where near finished, but I feel like we are making progress each week in some way, shape or form.

I also never realised how many people close to me suffer with anxiety or similar whether it be a big or smaller part of their lives now, they have been kind enough to share their experiences with me with has helped me massively, so I hope to do the same for you.

I plan to brighten your days and nights with funny moments during this process as well as be 100% real with you, dig deep and share some more unhappy moments too... because that's life.

So, I am proud to say that I have Anxiety, Obsessive Disorder and Panic Disorder. They are part off me and what make me the person I am.

I am doing something about it by taking my medication every day and seeking therapy, with the hope that one day I will understand my triggers better and be able to deal with them in a more productive way.

Please be nice... I know this effects more people than I could even know. This is just the beginning of  my story.

Much Love,