lauramerritt96

Couch to 5K is a free app to download that helps you to get fit and gives a 9 week plan with the end goal of you being able to run 5K. I did it with my mam which was nice to have someone to do it with and has been a great way to get outside and exercise especially during this time!

This was actually our 3rd attempt to complete the programme, we originally started at the end of September last year and got up to week 6 but due to work commitments we couldn’t manage to complete it. We also tried at the beginning of the year but again due to both our work schedules we only got to week 2 this time haha. So we finally did it!

You choose a ‘personal trainer’ to tell you you’re time intervals when running and give you the information. We chose Sarah Millican.

The aim is you do 3 runs a week, you start by walking and running for selected intervals with the running increasing every week. The end is goal is to run for 30 minutes in week 9.

This may not sound a lot to people and I used to love running more when I was younger but I don’t really do any exercise at all anymore so it’s been great to get fitter again.

It’s been great physically and mentally to be outdoors running and with the weather being so nice and even though the programmes finished I am going to keep up running!

Last night was the last official Clap For Carers and showing appreciation for all key workers after doing it every Thursday at 8pm for the last 10 weeks. While it is still so important to show how thankful we are for people keeping the country going during these tough times, it is nice to celebrate what it has been and end while it is still positive and big rather than just fizzling out.

It’s been so great to see just how much people come together in hard times.

One way in which we have and can continue to show support is by purchasing charity rainbow T-shirt’s. They are available for many different places in many different styles, with majority of companies donating 100% of the profits to charities to support the NHS.

We got our rainbow ‘all in this together’ T-shirt’s from M&S for £9.50 with all profits being donated. And we absolutely love them!

As lockdown begins to ease in England, the world seems to slowly getting back to some sense of normality. It’s important to remember that while everything still isn’t 100% ok but there is light at the end of the tunnel and there will be a ‘new normal’.

It’s important going forward that guidelines are still observed so that we don’t end up back where we started with the pandemic.

We’re all in this together from the beginning to the end. Better times are coming and it’s good to remember what we’ve learnt during these times, such as not taking the simple things for granted and put that into practice going forward so that at the end of it all the world might be a better/more positive place!

So this weekend Deno’s Wonder Wheel at Coney Island in New York has been celebrating it’s 100th birthday! I follow a lot of pages on Facebook from my trips to NY, including the wonder wheel page. Seeing all the posts has made me reminisce of my most recent trip which included 2 trips to Coney Island, which now has a special place in my heart.

I’ve been a huge fan of Lokai bracelets since they first launched in 2013. They were very much the ‘it’ bracelet to have at the time, with lots of celebrities loving them.

The idea of a Lokai bracelet is that the soft beaded bracelet has a white bead containing water from Mount Everest and a black bead containing mud from the Dead Sea. It represents the highest and lowest points on Earth.

I really like it when something simple such as a bracelet you can wear everyday has a meaning to it and a story behind it. It’s also very relatable needing to recognise the importance of balance in everyday life.

2020 – the year of online reunions/fan fests and meet and greets!

On Friday the cast on Pretty Little Liars held an online reunion with Cast4Good and Looped. You could join to watch the reunion as General Admission and there was also an option to upgrade to a 1-1 call with one of the cast after. It was all done in aid of charity to raise money for Feeding America. So it was great to have something to take part in and also know your money is going to help those in need, especially during these difficult times.

The line up consisted of Troian Bellisario, Ashley Benson, Lucy Hale, Shay Mitchell, Sasha Pieterse, Janel Parrish, Tyler Blackburn, Ian Harding and creator Marlene King. It was stated Keegan Allen was unable to join in as he didn’t have a good WiFi connection.

I binge watched the show last year and it became one of my all time favourites! So because I wasn’t watching it when it was still on I was excited to take part in something happening for it now. I also chose to upgrade to a 1-1 call with Troian Bellisario.

Another silver lining to come from the current situation is that there have been positive impacts on the environment.

I always try and do my bit by making changes to everyday life that can help reduce the impact I am causing such as using reusable straws and taking reusable bags.

I’ve used reusable water bottles all my life however recently I’ve been struggling to find a style that I like especially with there being so much choice now.

I came across a Cool Gear water bottle on my weekly trip to the local supermarket and it was on offer so thought I’d give it a try! I’ve been using it everyday for a month and I love it.

During lockdown I’ve finally had time to start reading more again and eventually got round to reading The Kissing Booth book series. I thought I would do a general overview of all of the books because 1) it’s one of my favourite series I’ve read 2) I don’t want to risk giving to much away about each book for people that haven’t read it yet and 3) I feel like I could go on forever haha.

So this review will be spoiler free because there’s nothing worse than having an ending ruined and hopefully it’ll give you another reason to read the books.

A silver lining to come from the current situation is seeing people come together and trying to add a bit of positivity and hope into our lives.

Over the last couple of weeks in my local area rainbow bunting has been popping up all over different streets and houses. It’s such a simple thing but has been so lovely to see and brought a little bit of joy to the everyday at the moment.

Last week when I opened my blinds one morning we seen my street had rainbow bunting added by one of the neighbours. I’ve lived in the same street all my life and many of the neighbours have always lived here too, so it’s always been a lovely friendly place. Often when I was younger we had regular street parties for occasions such as The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee so we’re all for an occasion.

A benefit to being in lockdown is I’m making good progress getting through all the Star Wars films. I decided last year to start watching them as I thought it was one of those things in life you have to watch. Also with Disney opening Galaxy’s Edge in California and Walt Disney World I wanted to at least have some idea of what’s going on for any future trips haha.

I decided to watch them in order of release rather than the narrative timeline.

I genuinely thought I’d struggle watching them as it’s not usually my type of film and I had absolutely no idea of any of it. I did enjoy the first film but it was really overwhelming with all the characters and basically a whole other language.

It was a long time between watching the first and the second but after watching the second I was actually gripped by the ending. Since then I’ve been watching them regularly (each one is about 2 and a half hours long so it takes a while haha). I’m really looking forward to Rise of the Skywalker as the trailers look amazing but I have a while before I get there.

I’m just finishing the prequel trilogy and looking forward to starting the next set of films released. If I’m honest I still only properly know about 50% of what’s going on but hey better than I was before haha.

Basically a post about how I’m now a fan of Star Wars after seeing this day come round every year haha.

I’m a bit obsessed with doughnuts on a good week so hands down the best decision I’ve made during lockdown was getting doughnuts delivered. I had heard of DoughnutTime before and came across their account on Instagram where I saw they were doing DIY kits that can be delivered to your door.

The kit costs £20 and it’s £5.95 for courier delivery to ensure you get them fresh. At time of ordering they bake Monday to Thursday so if ordering on the weekend I believe your order is shipped on the next baking day. The doughnuts are baked and shipped the same day with them being delivered the next day so perfect you don’t have to wait long!

When it came the smell was already delicious before even unboxing them haha. They were delivered securely in a box and wrapped in another box in paper to keep fresh. You get 4 huge doughnuts as well as 3 icing bags and a range of sweets, sprinkles and chocolates to decorate with. As well as some instructions/ingredients!

We had so much fun making them and I can honestly say they were some of the best doughnuts I’ve had. It’s such a great idea and a fun thing to do in lockdown! While £25.95 may seem pricey for doughnuts I think they were great value considering how big they were and the amount of branded sweets and decorating items you get (we had loads left over!) Would definitely order again!