April Updates, 2022

This post contains mentions of some gifted products, all opinions are my own and I only share products I've tried, love and would buy myself.

I feel like April is absolutely flying by. We are thoroughly enjoying our Easter holidays. It's been lovely, sunny weather here in the West of Ireland which adds to the enjoyment. We have been truly blessed with the weather. It was beautiful weather for all of the holidays this year, and for most of the boys football matches too. It's been a gift!

It's been a few months since I've done an update so I have some fun stories to share, photos to show and two wonderful products to tell you about.

St. Patrick's day

We thoroughly enjoyed attending the St. Patrick's Day in Newport. We hadn't been to a parade in years. There were two years of lockdown and the year before the parades were cancelled by poor weather. So when the sun was shining, we were smiling and it was a wonderful family day out.

Mother's Day

Again, it was a beautiful sunny day to celebrate Mother's Day. I was totally spoiled this year. I woke up to a table full of presents, cards and my chair converted into a queen's throne for the day. And a full day of fun was planned for me as a surprise.

We enjoyed a delicious dinner at Nevin's Newfield Inn and then went to Mulranny Beach for a walk around. We also stopped by Burishoole Abbey which is a place I had never visited despite passing by the road so many times.

Butterfly Garden from BrightMinds

For the past month, we have been thoroughly enjoying the Butterfly Garden set from BrightMinds. The set comes with an enclosure and instructions. It also comes with a voucher for free caterpillars from Insect Lore. It's easy to order the caterpillars and they arrived quickly

They were tiny little things when they arrived and then they grew, and grew and grew and GREW. Just like the Hungry Caterpillar book says! We were truly amazed by how much bigger they were each day. There is food inside their jar, so you don't have to do anything except observe their growth. The book that comes with the set is excellent for explaining each stage very clearly.

After a few weeks, the caterpillars formed themselves into chrysalises. We waited 3 days then transferred them into the butterfly enclosure where we patiently waited for our butterflies to emerge!!

We are thoroughly enjoying watching our butterflies emerge. We feed them with the sugar packet provided which we mixed with water, as well as flowers and fruit. We will release them outside in the next two days and we are hoping that they will stick around our house so we can see them and their babies too.

This set has been an amazing experience, we will definitely be ordering more caterpillars next year to do this again. I highly recommend the Butterfly Garden set from BrightMinds - for kids and adults alike! Honestly, I've loved it as much if not more than the kids.

Spa at home with Tea & Tonic

Regular readers know I am into my natural products. I live by organic, natural foods, skincare and all products. So I was really happy to try out some natural, cruelty-free, sustainable skincare products from Tea & Tonic.

I have to first say about the smell of these products - it is unreal. They are so beautiful and I feel like I have stepped into a spa every time I open a bottle. I also want to note that the full ingredients for every product are listed on the website. That's something I always look for and am so pleased to see.

I received the Cleansing Balm which is made from all-natural ingredients. It is ideal for removing make-up and promoting beautiful, radiant skin. To cleanse, take a small amount & massage onto dry skin. Gently wipe away using a warm, moist facecloth & repeat until clear. It feels amazingly fresh and clean on my skin.

I also received the Rich Face Oil which is high in nutrients & antioxidants with Vitamin C & E, Omega Fatty Acids, notably Gamma Linolenic Acid which is the elixir for elasticity. It is ideal before bed, I find it beautiful on my skin as it promotes a more subtle, smooth skin.

They aren't called Tea & Tonic for no reason, they also have delicious, wellness teas that are hand-blended with beautiful flavour and scents. The teas help to support the immune system and bring balance to the body.

Castlerea Railway Museum

I organized a homeschool field trip to the Castlerea Railway Museum where we met Sean, the collector and owner and got to explore his real engine and loads of train memorabilia. He had so many amazing stories which were as fun as seeing the train! The adults and kids alike truly enjoyed the tour and the opportunity to play on the train. The kids took turns as conductor, train driver and even the tea trolly person! Sean does tours by appointment only, and you can contact him via his website.

That's it for now. How has your Spring been going so far? Let me know what you are up to in the comments. Thanks for reading x