So you may have seen I've been a little quiet on the blogging front (and Instagram, my Photography page and pretty much anything that requires a little attention, time and more importantly internet) and that's due to moving home! It's been two and a half years since I've had to go through the stress of moving and this time, was SO much easier. Moving home is supposed to be one of the most stressful life events along with marriage and having a baby. So I thought it may be best to share some of my top tips with you that I learnt this time round from moving and let you know how myself and my partner managed to reduce our stress levels, making for a better moving day and experience overall.

1. P R E P E R A T I O N

Try to do as many things in advance as you can. Things like changing the home insurance over, changing electric providers and connecting the internet can be done about 30 days or so in advance. This way, you won't have to worry about the basics when you get to your new humble abode.

2. T R Y   T O   P A C K   I N   A D V A N C E

Usually if you are renting, you will have to give one or two months notice to move out of your current property. This gives you PLENTY of time to get started on packing. We began packing non essentials such as extra clothes, trinkets/ decoration items and those kitchen gadgets in the back of the cupboard you've not used in god knows how long. Packing well in advance the things you don't really need will help heaps when the big move day comes looming.

3. P A C K   A   'F I R S T   D A Y   K I T'

I don't know if this is an actual thing people do (I hadn't seen it anywhere before) but using common sense, pack items in a box you will need for the first day or even first few days. When you eventually move and you surrounded by boxes (which when it comes nearer to the day, will be full of non matching items and sometimes not even labelled) you'll thank yourself when there's a box with a spare set of clothes, showering items and some non perishable items. My little list I worked to was as follows;

- Toilet roll

- Towel

- Shampoo, conditioner and soap/ shower gel

- Milk (keep this in your current fridge till the day and just pop it in your handbag on the day)

- Some glasses, mugs, two plates (or a plate per person in the house) and some cutlery

- Tea bags, coffee, sugar or sweetener

- Underwear, spare clothes for next day and some pyjamas

- Clean bedding

4. B E   P A T I E N T

We're quite lucky in the fact that our new house was almost unpacked in the first few days due to my SUPER family who helped but don't fret if it takes you a while. My kitchen cupboards and bathroom ones are not 100% how I want them but I'm only in my 2nd week, things will find homes and you can always move bits once everything's unpacked.

and finally ...

5. L O O K   A F T E R   Y O U R S E L F

You can't move home if you're a withering wreck who doesn't know left from right. So you need to take care of yourself and your family in new abode, but this also starts before you even move. Pukka Herbs 'Relax'* range helped to soothe my mind from the moving stress woe's. A cup of their 'Relax' tea is the perfect aid to help you step back, breathe and relax. With chamomile flowers, fennel seed and marshmallow root, it's the perfect way to unwind after packing, day or night.

Make sure you get plenty of sleep and rest before and after the big move. If you're struggling to adapt to your new surroundings during night time like myself, Pukka's 'Night Time' tea* with lavender and limeflowers will help you get a restful night's sleep and bring you back to a fresher world in the morning. I also suffer from anxiety and as you can imagine, my anxiety levels were SKY HIGH during the moving day so since then, I have been taking Ashwagandha supplements* which are a natural formula that help relax your mind and nervous system. Ashwagandha is one of Ayurveda's most prized adaptogenic herbs which is known as 'rasayana' meaning to rejuvenate. For centuries, it's been used to help the body's response to stress and studies have shown, it's helped 69% of people improve their quality of sleep, 45% of people noticed an improvement on how they handle stressful social activities and 18% of people noticed an increase in their energy levels.

Once you have moved into your home, remember to continuing to look after yourself and invest some time in yourself. I would recommend a pamper session with your favourite skincare and facemask and if you have the time, home baked treats are ALWAYS a good idea.

Do you have anymore top tips for stress free moving? What is your favourite flavour of Pukka Herbs Tea?

Isn't it just mad when life gets carried away, time wizz's past you and before you know it almost a month has disappeared. It's been a long long month I will be honest with you but I am glad to report that life is on the up once again. I have sorted myself out with employment (it's so nice to be working again!) I am happier with my body and self image and I am finally achieving some of my New Year goals I put in place (about time!)

 I've joined a gym and I am putting my mental health first by investing in myself as a person and putting some time aside each week for me. I think we all forgetting to actually look after ourselves and I have been guilty of this for a long time now. I may not have lost any drastic amounts of weight like I would have but I am starting to love my body a bit more for what it is and work on improving what I already have - I am going to start embracing my curves just a little more and stop beating myself up so much. 

I finally got my first tattoo and it's odd how good it has made me feel. It's like it should have been there all along and I can't wait to add more adornments to my body in the coming years. I have already started to plan my next tattoo and this one hasn't even healed yet! I had an appointment booked in to just get a small heart on the back of my calf but literally a few hours before my appointment, I felt a bit unsure on the design I had a chosen. I spoke to my mum and my tattoo artist my friend Hayley and we decided the unicorn I choose in the end was much more me.

I am investing more time and effort into my photography business and hopefully in the long run, will be able to invest more money into some new gear so I can really give it my all. I love producing something for someone to treasure and be able to look back on and think of all the memories from just one photo. It's such a joy to give something back and I really hope I can keep it going. 

And I am going to try and invest some more time into blogging again. I love that there is a community waiting for me to re-join and thrive with. I've recently attended a few more events and I just love the local blogging culture. I've met some gorgeous guys and gals through blogging and hope this long continues. And I just want to say thank you to you - reading this. You are the people I write this for and you taking the time to read this keeps me going. Your interactions are amazing (even sometimes the negative. I take it with a pinch of salt and try to improve from critics) you're what make this blog something and what keep this going. So thank you from the bottom of my heart.